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What’s happening in Hardin, Montana? (American Police Force)
Michelle Malkin ^ | 9/30/2009 | Michelle Malkin

Posted on 09/30/2009 2:16:58 PM PDT by kara2008

Tons of readers are asking about the American Police Force jail contract in Hardin, Montana.

Neil Katz at CBS News reported:

This is the strange story of how American Police Force, a little known company which claims to specialize in training military and security forces overseas, has seemingly taken control of a $27 million, never-used jail, and a rural Montana town’s nonexistent police force.

After arriving in this tiny city with three Mercedes SUVs marked with the logo of a police department that has never existed, representatives of the obscure California security company said preparations were under way to take over Hardin’s jail, which has no prisoners.

Significant obstacles remain – including a lack of any contracts to acquire prisoners from other jails or other states.

And on Friday came the revelation the company’s operating agreement for the facility has yet to be validated – two weeks after city leaders first unveiled what they said was a signed agreement.

Still, some Hardin leaders said the deal to turn over the 464-bed jail remained on track.

The agreement with American Police Force has been heavily promoted by members of the city’s economic development branch, the Two Rivers Authority. Authority Vice President Albert Peterson on Friday repeated his claim to be “100 percent” confident in the company.

The lead public figure for American Police Force, Michael Hilton, said more than 200 employees would be sought for the jail and a proposed military and law enforcement training center.

The secrecy has led to speculation that the deal is tied to President Obama’s search for Gitmo detainee housing alternatives in the U.S. Hardin jail officials expressed interest in accepting released Gitmo enemy combatants last spring.

There’s not enough info to determine what exactly is going on — so Montana legislators are doing their jobs and trying to get to the bottom of it:

Montana Rep. Bob Ebinger said more rumors were likely until Hardin and the company provide more details.

“Always when things are secretive, you end up getting everybody—on both the right and the left—making suppositions about what’s going on,” said Ebinger, a Democrat from Livingston.

Ebinger and other members of the Legislature’s Law and Justice Committee said they would ask Hardin officials to provide more information about the company.

In addition to taking over the 464-bed, $27 million jail, the company has said it will sink $17 million into a military training center and is seeking 5,000 acres or more for a live-fire training ground.

Company spokeswoman Becky Shay said there were no plans to reveal the project’s financial backers.

They are not going to be able to sustain that position for long.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Montana
KEYWORDS: americanpoliceforce; apf; hardin; hardinapf; hardinmontana; malkin; montana
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To: DallasDeb
"Anyone check out Snopes?"

Snopes is a hoax itself!

41 posted on 09/30/2009 4:18:26 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (The beginning of the O'Bomb-a administration looks a lot like the end of the Nixon administration)
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To: Little Pig

Montanans have been voting for Democrats and lefties, If the Gitmo scum have to be in the US, Montana is well deserving.


42 posted on 09/30/2009 4:30:03 PM PDT by cookcounty (Videos? What videos? ....The First ACORN President has no comment.)
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To: Outlaw Woman
"Isn't MT a 'Republican' held state? I"

Used to be, but they have 2 Dem Senators, Dem Governor and at least one of the houses of the State legislature is Dem....Montana is heading Left in a very big hurry, maybe seeing Obama will knock some sense into them.

43 posted on 09/30/2009 4:35:33 PM PDT by cookcounty (Videos? What videos? ....The First ACORN President has no comment.)
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To: LucyT

Thanks for the ping, Lucy.

Very strange.


44 posted on 09/30/2009 4:40:51 PM PDT by fanfan (Why did they bury Barry's past?)
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To: kara2008

Here’s an article from April 23rd, Billings Gazette:

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_ef4c3aaf-b6cf-53b6-a8b7-2ba9e7fc7e1b.html


45 posted on 09/30/2009 4:42:23 PM PDT by cookcounty (Videos? What videos? ....The First ACORN President has no comment.)
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To: cookcounty

That’s somewhat depressing


46 posted on 09/30/2009 4:55:16 PM PDT by Outlaw Woman (In Defense of Liberty.........Radicalism may be necessary.)
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To: Chattering Class of 58

I don’t think the Hardin politicians did a very good job of vetting their new business.

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_023e1c90-ae1b-11de-8891-001cc4c03286.html

Their name “American Police Force” should have been suspicious to them. Are people really that desperate that they would fall for this?


47 posted on 09/30/2009 5:58:07 PM PDT by BlessingsofLiberty (Obama, YOU LIE!!)
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To: BlessingsofLiberty
Are people really that desperate that they would fall for this?


48 posted on 09/30/2009 7:04:43 PM PDT by sockmonkey
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To: sockmonkey

Just checking in briefly: Michael Hilton has a criminal past:

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_023e1c90-ae1b-11de-8891-001cc4c03286.html


49 posted on 09/30/2009 11:06:48 PM PDT by bootless (Never Forget. Never Again. And NEVER GIVE UP!)
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To: sockmonkey

APF Head Hilton has criminal past

Look at this guys rap sheet! what makes him think he can enforce laws? or even be eligible to get a US contract after his prior convictions?

http://www.thenorthwatch.com/us/apf-head-hilton-has-criminal-past/


50 posted on 10/01/2009 3:13:24 AM PDT by skipford1
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To: kara2008

I can see one very legitimate reason for doing this: in case another prison, a different prison, needs to be evacuated.

I believed that a lot of prisoners were let go during Katrina, but for the most part they were minor prisoners let go from jail. Yet there are a lot of maximum security prisons, filled to the brim with very dangerous criminals, and with the exception of this empty prison, no place to put them in a disaster. A lot of them are far too dangerous to put in a temporary field prison.


51 posted on 10/01/2009 4:16:36 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy
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To: kara2008

American Police Force is a Blackwater Front Company

here is the APF website screenshot http://www.prisonplanet.com/images/october2009/011009shot1.jpg

here is the domain registry for XE (Blackwater)

http://blogslut.com/ustrainingxe.jpg


52 posted on 10/01/2009 9:34:37 AM PDT by oioiman (The Federal Reserve has officially been listed as the USA's cause of death.....)
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To: pissant
See this thread from the LA Times:

California entrepreneur promising to revitalize rural Montana town has checkered past ( Hardin )

He seems to have money ...but it appears he is a brazen Hustler from my locale...So California,....

53 posted on 10/01/2009 12:59:29 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Montana Confederate; LucyT; Outlaw Woman
...we did go for McCain.

Unfortunately, that's incorrect. MT's electoral votes went to ZERO. Maybe that's the impetus for this project. You know, the old spoils system. MT voted for O, so now you are being "rewarded" with an "economic development project."

No, Dick Chaney, as was pointed out, never lived in Montana. But I heard that Ted Turner has a ranch there now. Kind of symbolic of the political shift there in recent years, one would think.

54 posted on 10/01/2009 1:59:13 PM PDT by justiceseeker93
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To: justiceseeker93

I wasn’t sure about the political leanings anymore. Just in 10 short years.....it seems it’s become a political nest of maggots.

Yes...I was incorrect about Cheney and your point regarding Turner, well made and spot on.


55 posted on 10/01/2009 2:12:04 PM PDT by Outlaw Woman (In Defense of Liberty.........Radicalism may be necessary.)
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