§ 504 — Policing off-track betting

§ 504. Policing off-track betting. 1. For the purpose of preserving\norder and preventing offenses against the laws prohibiting gambling and\nthe rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to sections two hundred\ntwenty-two through seven hundred five of this chapter, the officers or\ndirectors of each corporation subject to the provisions of this article\nare hereby authorized to appoint from time to time, special police\nofficers, and the same to remove at pleasure, who, when appointed, shall\nwithin any office of a corporation and within five hundred feet\ntherefrom be vested with the powers of peace officers, as set forth in\nsection 2.20 of the criminal procedure law, whose duty, when appointed,\nshall be to preserve order within and around the offices of said\ncorporation, to protect the property within, to eject or arrest all\npersons who shall be improperly within the office of such corporation or\nwho shall be guilty of disorderly conduct, or who shall neglect or\nrefuse to observe the rules prescribed by said corporation; and it shall\nbe the further duty of said police officers, when appointed to prevent\nall violations of law with reference to pool-selling, bookmaking and\nother gambling and all violations of the rules and regulations\npromulgated pursuant to sections two hundred twenty-two through seven\nhundred five of this chapter having the force of law and to arrest any\nand all persons violating such provisions, and to convey such person or\npersons so arrested, with a statement of the cause of such arrest,\nbefore a magistrate having jurisdiction of such offense, to be dealt\nwith according to law. The appointment of special police officers in\npursuance of this section shall not be deemed to supersede in any way\nthe authority of peace officers or police officers of the jurisdiction\nwithin which the offices of the corporation are located.\n 2. Any appointment of a special police officer under this section,\nshall be made only with the approval of the commission. Application for\nsuch approval shall be in such form as may be prescribed by the\ncommission and shall contain such other information or material or\nevidence as the commission requires. In acting on an application for\nsuch approval the commission shall consider the background, experience,\nintegrity, and competence of the candidate for appointment, the public\ninterest, convenience or necessity and the interests of legalized\nwagering generally. The commission in its discretion may set the term of\nany such appointment, terminate any existing appointment at any time and\nprescribe conditions and rules for the conduct of such office.\n