Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Transportation, a rail police officer who is employed by a rail carrier and certified or commissioned as a police officer under the laws of a State may enforce the laws of any jurisdiction in which the rail carrier owns property, to the extent of the authority of a police officer certified or commissioned under the laws of that jurisdiction, to protect—
(1)
employees, passengers, or patrons of the rail carrier;
(2)
property, equipment, and facilities owned, leased, operated, or maintained by the rail carrier;
(3)
property moving in interstate or foreign commerce in the possession of the rail carrier; and
(4)
personnel, equipment, and material moving by rail that are vital to the national defense.