For Profit Police?
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
Via email I received this link to a story that concerns me. The story is about a small town called Hardin in Montana. In Hardin, Montana a private company named American Police Force Corporation has taken over both the city’s non-existent police department and it’s empty jail.
OK, so I can hear a few people wondering: If the police force doesn’t exist and the jail has no prisoners, then who cares? Here’s why it bothers me: this is a private corporation; a FOR PROFIT company that has taken over both a police agency (the moment the first officer is sworn in) and a jail. Such a company wouldn’t have done so unless there was a PROFIT to be made. That means that to staff the police agency they’re going to hire people at a certain wage and then bill the town a higher rate so that the company can make the profit.
Now, here’s the real kicker: the jail is empty at the moment. What happens when it starts being populated by prisoners arrested by the private company’s officers? Right - each prisoner will have a cost attached and a higher cost will be billed to the town, county or state so that the company can make a profit off of each prisoner. Do you see the problem yet? If the company makes profit from running the jail and it also makes profit from running the police department, doesn’t it stand to profit even more if it’s using the police department to populate the jail?
Yes, yes… I know. I’m both paranoid and quite imaginative. Of course that can’t happen. It would require too many lawyers (who work for a profit defending criminals) and too many judges (or maybe just a few) to… well, not to help the company - but just not to get in the way. If the lawyers defend their clients, they make money. If the judges simply judge cases based on merit, then the prison will eventually get populated. Ultimately, unless the population of Hardin and anyone traveling through it suddenly becomes perfectly crime free, the company will make a profit.
So what’s the real problem? Well, two things come to mind:
1) RoboCop: anyone remember when the private company took over a large city’s police agency? Officers were treated like crap and when one died he was considered the company’s property? Yep, pure science fiction, right? But if the company could take over the city’s policing and make a profit then how much more is possible?
2) There is no way to “police for profit” and maintain integrity. This is one of the big criticisms of law enforcement in the “old west”. Some city law enforcement officers were paid by the arrest. More arrests = bigger paychecks. When that’s the case, how much integrity and impartiality can be maintained?
Now I understand that the company wouldn’t be getting paid per arrest, but think about it: they would be setting policy for the officers they hired. AND they’d be generating profit for every prisoner in the jails. That’s a very fine line to be walked to insure integrity and impartiality in law enforcement.
Of course, this may just be me being entirely paranoid and imaginative. On the other hand, if I were a citizen of Hardin I’d be pretty concerned.
Remember something folks: when Blackwater was contracted by FEMA to provide security services after Hurricane Katrina, huge objections were made by politicians nationwide and many citizens voiced their concerns about “a private police force.”
Well, it’s reality. The company representatives in Hardin even drove in behind the wheels of Mercedes SUVs with town police logos on the sides of them. Are we worried yet?
What do you think?
I think the folks in Hardin think the private police force, training center, jail, etc. will be a huge boon to their economy. They fail to take into account the detrimental effect this egotistical, satanic, group of merc.’s will have on the local community. According to the reports I’ve seen the company itself has no physical headquarters and lied about being heavily involved with government contracts (a contractor database search revealed they had never worked with the federal government), yet they have millions of dollars and claim to be the subsidiary of some larger corporation which they refuse to name. The whole thing is very strange, and it seems like this is either a) some kind of front/shell company or b) an outright scam. Interestingly, the mayor of Hardin was the guy who tried to have the Gtmo inmates shipped in so I think this could be related.
You are very correct. I live in Tennessee and have spent all night researching this and this is exactly what it has become. They hired a reporter from the Billings Gazette as a front, cover up and she is plain stupid. She does not know what she is getting into. I called her at the number listed on the APF website, and guess what…she answered her phone at 12:37 pm and proceeded to tell me after I started questioning her…that she was in the bath tub and had gotten out of the “tub” to take my call. She finally hung up on me…but I was a little surprised at the “too much information” provided on her nakedness and no information on the APF. Besides the fact I was expecting an answer machine to pick up so I could leave a message like any proffessional would have such as a Public Relations Officer and would have left a message. To my surprise I reached a true idiot who has never met my family in Hardin, and knew none of it’s citizens as she was from Billings MT, an hour away and reportedly quit her job on a quick whim to go to work for this company for 60,000.00 …I researched this all night after I recieved a concerned call from a family member and have found my self quite upset from here in Tennessee, Where I live near an Army base, I am a prior veteran, an accountant, and work for the government. It is surprising to me that no one still does not know who these “aliens” are , except from the emblem on the mercedes it has been determined it is either russian or from the UK? Yes, Hardin better wake up… and their are some awake, mostly the christians in the community as what is done in the dark will come to light, but will it be too late for the citizens of my small home town that has only one street light and the sherrif’s department has never drove mercedes and we have not had a police department in 30 yrs… that was back in the days when my dad was a police officer and I was about 11 years old. Walking to dollies after school, or stopping at the local Dairy Queen off of 3rd street. I have not lived in Hardin since I joined the military in 1986, yet I could name every Hardin street almost from memory, but the public relations officer couldn’t tell you where the purple cow was if she tried….even though they have a true purple cow out front. This is outrageous…and about this time, I would think with all the press that the FBI or Some Federal agency would be investigating this……unless they are a covert government operation themselves….who knows…but I am will be watching and the moment I see any harm toward my family come into play, beleive me, I will be down there and they will have to put me in that Jail by the time I let my feelings known about the whole situation. This is horrible. Somebody, like the big brother needs to come in and put them in their place…where is our State Government…Hardin is one of the poorest cities in Bighorn county, and it is because of that Dam……Jail. Who was the master mind that thought that one up? Do any of the citizens of Hardin have a say in what is going on? apparently no, if they are not informed of what is about to happen to them….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By the way…forgot to mention. Look at their employment page…with the large picture of an eye. They have their emblem as the pupil, then behind the pupil is bars and if you look really close on the right side you will see a bald eagle behind bars….That really struck me the wrong way. Blow up the picture on your screen and look closely, you will see it amongst the reflection of lashes. You can even see the eagles tail wings at the bottom….and this wonderous bird is behind bars…what does this mean to you? look at http://www.americanpolicegroup.com - employment page.
Unfortunately, I can see how the idea of “private police forces” could appeal to a lot of people, and subsequently to the politicos who represent or want to represent those people. There are many out there who look at our pay, benefits, pensions, etc and get angry when they are tightening their belts in lean times. If this idea took off, and some of our notoriously short-sighted politicians got behind it as a way to provide low-cost law enforcement, it might be hard to compete against. I don’t think there is a lot of popular support for the idea now, but if it starts to take off in some places…
I have to agree with both points raised by Frank, especially the issue of how integrity would be impacted. Let me go one step further, however, and pose a couple other possible consequences:
If private police forces were to be established, operating as private business ventures, would they not probably be willing to go to great expense to lobby and steer lawmakers? Of course, doing so is the right and responsibility of all of us as citizens, individually or collectively by group, profession, interest, etc. But ultimately our laws are supposed to reflect the will of the people. We, as law enforcement officers, serve to enforce the will of the people and act in their interest and at their behest as representatives of their government. By separating LE from government, it would not take long for the private LE firms to begin lobbying in their OWN self-interest, in order to protect their bottom line, against what may be the will of the people they are supposed to represent and protect if the people want to, say, popularly repeal or alter a law and take the enforcement of it (and its profitability) away from the private LE firms. Imagine the possible graft, influence-peddling, kickbacks, etc that might come out of that. Or have I just lived in Illinois too long and grown cynical?
The second big problem I see piggy-backs off the first and is still under the umbrella of integrity. As it stands now, there is rightly a significant degree of openness and transparency under which we must operate. Any citizen can exercise their right to seek information under Freedom of Information laws. If LE becomes a private venture, that openness and transparency might evaporate; I am not sure federal and state laws ro existing case law adequately address the multitude of issues this could raise since a formerly governmental function would become one of private business. The likelihood of abuse is great.
I don’t think we are facing a widespread privatization of our profession in the near future, but I would hate to discount it as a possibility and be caught unaware and unprepared to fend it off.
What do I think?
I think this company is a hoax outfit, due to the fact that they advertise selling WMD’s (nuclear, biological, chemical) to international orders only.
Don’t take it seriously. Some locals (Al & Shay, etc.) got one pulled-over on them and need to come back to reality.
The US marshall for that area isn’t even in the loop. I’m just waiting for the hoax to be revealed.
“If the company makes profit from running the jail and it also makes profit from running the police department, doesn’t it stand to profit even more if it’s using the police department to populate the jail?”
Awesome business model I am rushing to my attorneys to start the Carolina Policing Initiative Inc! We will only investigate drug dealers and receive half of the seized assets or money for payment! Now all I need is an offshore NGO promoting illegal drug dealing in N.C. and..
I am not big on conspiracy theories as well. But for some reason this is scary indeed. This end quote just kind of hit me the wrong way. “Don’t panic,” she said, “just go with the flow and everything will be fine.” http://www.blacklistednews.com/news-5765-0-22-22–.html
I just see movement as I never seen before and in a way it has brought about concerns. I read this just a minute ago. http://www.tauntongazette.com/health/x1991989114/Critics-say-pandemic-emergency-bill-tramples-privacy-rights When the ACLU and conservative movements start to see eye to eye I am beginning to wonder to myself.
One also has to remember that it is illegal for US military to police US citizens on US soil (see ‘Posse Comitatus Act’). No wonder they have some Russian Blackwater clone running the show.
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.retirement/browse_thread/thread/23490bf627a6f3b6
Search company founder under alias Miodrag Dokovich
[…] Cops are not happy at these for-profit businesses, and not because the cops fear losing their jobs. […]
You know, private prisons is one thing…. But private police over a municipality? That is a very different shift in American culture.
I know that the railroads have had their own police forces for many years now.. For profit, private colleges have their own police forces. The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association has their own law enforcement Rangers with multi-state authority to investigate crimes regarding cattle theft or thefts and crimes on ranches/farms…..
There is a difference with the law enforcement agencies I mentioned above and this abomination. The private police agencies that I mentioned are not solely formed for the purposes of being a FOR PROFIT police agency. They were formed from a larger corporation for a specialized purpose and limited scope of assignment or limited jurisdictional authority…. They are also a NON-PROFIT portions of a larger entity. The corporation or entity itself may be FOR PROFIT but that is not the purpose of their police departments…..
Private police agencies should be limited in either their jurisdiction or their scope of their authority…. They should also be well regulated by the state to ensure that they do not violate the rights of the citizens that come into contact with them.
Please don’t let this disease spread to Texas….
“Do not bite at the bait of pleasure, till you know there is no hook beneath it.” Thomas Jefferson
The AMERICAN Police Force promises much–but what lies underneath their SERBIAN logo????
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33131009/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
Montana AG now investigating the company and the deals - which are PENDING and not enacted yet - even if the company reps WERE driving around in SUVs with the Town’s Police Logo on the side.
http://www.billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_023e1c90-ae1b-11de-8891-001cc4c03286.html
http://www.billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_48829de4-aef1-11de-8bfd-001cc4c002e0.html
Just a couple more articles on this
Interesting. I just did a WHOIS search, and it looks like their website has only been around for about five months. Seems like an awfully short time for a corporate website these days. Something is a bit shady here. Not just hiring a private company for police services, but a STARTUP? Weird.
I beg the REAL police to get on this story and find the truth. Please protect the citizens from private mercenary forces. PLEASE do not just blow these kinds of things off as a “conspiracy theory”.
this is not about L/R or D/R it is about the country and our history. Please investigate and please protect the people of the United States not the people running the show
“American Police Force Company” which is owned by one of the most brutal fascist warlords of the former Nation of Yugoslavia named Midrag Ilia Dokovitch, who when brought to the United States by the CIA (who backed his brutal troops in the destruction of the Balkan genocide wars) changed his name to Michael Anthony Hilton, was arrested numerous times for fraud and extortion, served 2 years in a California prison
now they suddenly changed the name to “American PRIVATE Police Force”, changed the website, changed the Serbian crest, APF Lawyer QUIT, news breaking every day
“By separating LE from government, it would not take long for the private LE firms to begin lobbying in their OWN self-interest, in order to protect their bottom line, against what may be the will of the people they are supposed to represent and protect if the people want to, say, popularly repeal or alter a law and take the enforcement of it (and its profitability) away from the private LE firms.”–Mike Wasilewski
This has already happened in California with the private prison system. The MAJORITY of Californians want to see marijuana completely legalized; marijuana legalization will in fact be on a statewide popular referendum next election. Yet the most well-funded and active lobby againt marijuana legalization is the California Correctional Officers Union who have lobbied tooth and nail against any cannabis law reform. The union is so powerful that Cali prison guards are the highest-paid in the nation. But marijuana arrests make up 47% of all arrests in Cali, so the Union has a vested interest in keeping the gravy train rolling. Meanwhile, Cali has built 21 new prisons but only one new university. Policing for Profit? You’re too late; it’s already happened.
Zman, I dont think the CCPOA is a private prison company. A little more research would show that the CCPOA has fought “tooth and nail” to prevent the California State Legislature from allowing private prisons to operate in place of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. They are powerful, you would be too if you had 39,000 members. And building more prisons then universities is a bad comparison. The research points to more schools, less prison. Schools being Elementary to middle school, not Universities. Plus the California Teachers Association has 300,000 members. Who is more powerful?
There is a standing Supreme Court decision that states cities are the burdens of the states. Basically, there are two governments at the end of the day. The US gov’t and the various states. Cities, Counties, Schools Districts, Transit Districts, Fire Protection districts have no constitutional standing. So for a private police force to take over a contract for a city, the State would have to sign off on that. Not saying it isn’t possible, or hasn’t happened, but legally speaking only a State can grant Peace Officer Powers to a agency and a person.
Frank, I enjoyed reading your rationales. I, too, immediately thought of OmniConsumerProducts (OCP) and Detroit when read about this strange story. At least in California, there are few private Universities that have their own “police force.” Stanford is a great example. They have a Department of Public Safety, full police powers in the State, on duty only. Off-duty it gets sticky. Legally speaking Stanford has no authority to grant Peace Officer powers; however, the Sheriff does! So Stanford contacted the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and they drafted a document which states the employees of Stanford DPS are reserve officers with the Sheriff’s Office. Now they have peace officer powers! They are not employees of the County. They are Stanford employees who happen to volunteer at the SO. The Sheriff has to maintain one employee at Stanford DPS to monitor the contract. This is the closest example of private policing I have been able to find. Anyone have any other examples from other states?
This incident in Montana is very strange and from the news I have read, it sounds like a good old confidence scam.
This is an example of what you get when you have a ‘for profit’ Police force. exactly what the UK Metropolitan Police are. very poor standards exampled by the racist abuse from a uniformed officer, proof if ever needed that the quality of recruit is very low.
Look at this complete pear on YOUTUBE, an offering from the much maligned Metropolitan Police.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbxEDx5KIC4
There are 4 vid’s in the series, be sure to watch them all as another actually shows the uniformed Met officer blasting away at the screaming Australian.
There is currently an investigation into who the officer is, hopefully he’ll recieve more than a dressing down.
Mark
Private companies taking over services for a city is not new! Rural metro was a company that staffed firedepartments. Their employees still had to comply with state laws regarding certification so they are just as qualified to do the jobs. Some corporations have private police forces. alot depends on their leadership.
The law enforcement Officers at all the US D.O.E. Nuclear facilities are employed by the Wackenhut security corporation, and they do a pretty good job over all. But when combined with A privete jail? Raises alot of flags in my mind as well.
Yeah, this deal fell through….. truth always comes out, sometimes it just takes awhile.
The outfit in this article was determined to be a fraud. I do not believe the town requested the entity to display decals indicating they were the town police force. They were removed at town request 24 hours after they arrived.
This incident was a con game by a criminally insane con artist and was/is not a good example of information about private policing in America. Shining examples of private police services/agencies done correctly include the North Carlolina Company Police, rail road police (except amtrak), FedEx Air Carrier Police, any private university that has a campus police department, San Francisco’s Patrol Specials, MD State Special Police Officers (security officers commissioned thru the state), St. Louis & Indianapolis Private Security Special Deputies, the Cincinatti Private Police and the the hundreds of other jurisdictions that grant special police status to private security. Not all political subdivisions treat private security officers like unwanted red haired bastard step children and deny them the legal status to carry out their traditional role and function or augmenting the governmental provided police as a form of private police. I do not advocate privatization of municipal police services at this time, but in time, that day will come. Several smaller towns contract with private services for fire department and EMS services.
As far as integrity goes. I am an ex deputy sheriff and now own a security guard company. We have state arrest powers and I have never made an arrest that was not legitimate or served any other interests besides justice or maintaing peace and order.
One quick parting thought: The worn out adolescent idea that focuses on who you are or who your work for has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on common sense right vs wrong. Its wrong to break the criminal law. Its right for criminals to be arrested, tried, convicted and punished. Whether or not someone can be trusted to make correct decisions and exercise good judegment in regards to police work decisions, arrests, etc is completely unrelated to who signs the paychecks.
Can you please throw some light on the history of American police.How it become so powerful.How some other developing country can adopt such status of police officers in their own country.
(I am from India)
Unless we are born with a silver spoon in our mouths, everyone works “for profit” - even public police. My guess is that even you earn a salary? No one donates his or her policing service, period, unless it is a volunteer walking citizen’s patrol or neighborhood watch group. Being ‘for profit” is NOT the problem here. After all, the motivation to be lazy that civil service salary security suggests, can be a larger problem for public safety and public coffers than the motivation to be creative and innovate that the open marketplace encourages. Don’t forget pensions for public police–a future and often huge financial obligation that taxpayers incur by focusing on public police as the only option. Not to mention the problem of ‘pension spiking’ rampant in San Francisco and elsewhere, focused on by our Grand Jury report summer of this year. Or the silliness of Oakland Police union mounting litigation that just this week resulted in them being paid for the time they spend ‘dressing and getting ready to work’ with 1.7 million (YES, IN THIS ECONOMY!! 1.7 MILLION ALONE GOING TO PAY THE LAWYERS IN THE CASE, NOT TO MENTION WHAT THE CITY OF OAKLAND HAD TO PAY BY WAY OF SETTLEMENT AND BACK PAY TO THE OFFICERS!)
And mentioning the ‘old West’ — actually it was the merchant for-profit class that funded early, effective law enforcement efforts, while public police participated in graft and corruption par excellence, plus abandoned their positions in droves. Our famed “special police” stayed on the job and quelled riots and put gangs out of business. At least, that’s the history in San Francisco, if one reads reputable historians.
The problems here are (1) lack of organizational culture and method of operation that is truly neighborhood-oriented and responsive, rather than with an us-them authoritarian, militarist mentality, and (2) lack of oversight and participatory control by citizens and public leaders.
With the proper public oversight, and with dedicated officers who truly care about and are loyal for years and years of service to one area or one group of clients who pay for their services, and with an attitude that collaboration with public police is required to expand scarce public resources, then private police are a much needed and valuable option that must be used today. Check out the much revered and desired 161-year old San Francisco Patrol Special Police at http://www.sfspecialneighborhoodpolicing.org, to see a proper role model for such privatized neighborhood policing.