The roots of this organization go back to 1936 when Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia authorized the hiring of special patrolmen for the New York City Subway.

[2] Since the 1860s, the New York City Subway's predecessors operated lines running at grade level and on elevated structures.

Between 1900 and October 27, 1904, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) built the first subway line in Manhattan.

Responsible for assisting in the opening and closing of doors and announcing destinations, these 26 "specials" were soon given powers of arrest, but only on the IND line.

When the privately run IRT and BMT were taken over by New York City in 1940, the small patrol force on the IND line nearly doubled in size.

The Code of Criminal Procedure was changed in 1947 granting transit patrolmen peace officer status and by 1950, the number of "specials" reached 563.

Beginning in 1949, the question as to who should supervise the Transit Police Department was one which was carefully scrutinized over the next five years by various city officials.

The Civil Service Commission established a new test for transit recruits, and on April 4, the first appointments from the list were made.

An NYPD lieutenant, Thomas O'Rourke, was also designated the first commanding officer of the Transit Police Department.

The program had a goal of assigning an officer to each of New York City's subway trains between the hours of 8:00 PM and 4:00 AM.

[3] Determined to reorganize the Transit Police Department, Chief Garelik was also successful in instilling a new sense of pride and professionalism among the ranks.

By that time, Transit Police was a very old department personnel wise, losing many officers each month to retirement.

In 1991, the Transit Police gained federal accreditation[clarification needed] under Chief William Bratton.

Bratton was also responsible for upgrading the antiquated radio system, changing the service revolvers to a semi-automatic 9mm Glock, and greatly improving the morale of the department.

Redundancy of units, difficulty in communications and differences in procedures all created frustration and inefficiency.

The Transit Police, and specifically a new unit called the Vandal Squad, led by its commanding officer, Lieutenant Kenneth Chiulli, began to fine and arrest those painting graffiti.

Founded in 1980, the Vandal Squad's mission was to protect the subway system from serious criminal acts of destruction like kicking out windows and throwing seats out of train cars.

To combat fare evasion, Transit Police had the Summons Squad, whose officers worked in plain clothes in pairs, with the prime objective of issuing summonses system wide for fare evasion, littering and smoking.

there was also a emergency special unit[5] During the existence of the New York City Transit Police Department, 13 officers died in the line of duty.