FedEx gains own police force

FedEx Corporation is waging war on crime and terrorist threats with its own army of 10 plain-clothes detective-style cops. The police force, approved by the Tennessee government, investigate various crimes, request search warrants, and can make arrests in Tennessee.

Establishing its own force qualifies FedEx to serve on a regional joint terrorism task force, one of 66 across the U.S., managed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Although the FedEx agent on the task force cannot disclose restricted information to the FedEx employer, the company still benefits from its attachment, because the FedEx cop can warn the company to take pre-emptive measures. Should the task force uncover, for example, that explosives are used by terrorists somewhere across the globe, FedEx can be cautioned to install specialized detection devices at that location.

The launch of the FedEx police force raises concerns regarding public interest. The inside work can be unfairly advantageous to the company. Are the FedEx police duty-bound to caution rival companies to terrorist threats? If FedEx uncovers misconduct by the company’s officials, will it be ignored since FedEx is the big boss?

FedEx spokesperson Kristin Krause told Pantagraph that FedEx Carrier Police adhere to the same rule of ethics as other state law-enforcement agencies. The department strategy is only to kick off investigations and then turn them over to state agencies, she said.