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HARDIN, Mont. (CBS/AP) 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.
Following our earlier report about a paramilitary security force occupying a town in Montana, it has now become clear that the purpose of American Police Force is to boss a state of the art internment camp that some fear will be used to incarcerate American citizens, as reports come in of the private paramilitary unit setting up roadblocks and harassing citizens in Hardin
Originally posted by SenorChili
Originally posted by drapheus
Its hard to believe local militia aren't raising a stink over this.
At a local level, I wonder who is cashing out on this deal...
SPEAKING OF WHICH... Where the hell is the milita? any word at all?
Originally posted by antonia
Like deep throat said-"Follow the money". If the funder of this group can be found most of these questions will be answered.
The Web site for American Police Force, the California company working on a contract to fill Hardin's empty jail, is temporarily down.
Becky Shay, APF's public relations director, said the Web site, www.americanpolicegroup.com, crashed because it has received more job applications than the server can handle. APF has received at least 2,000 applications, many of which are for jobs at the 464-bed jail in Hardin.billingsgazette.com...
Hilton also said he planned a helicopter tour of the region in coming days to look at real estate for a planned tactical military training ground. He said 5,000 to 10,000 acres were needed to complement the training center, a $17 million project.
BILLINGS - Officials say a private jail in Hardin has signed a 10-year contract agreeing to house federal prisoners.
Greg Smith, the head of the town's economic development authority, says the contract with American Private Police Force Organization Incorporated calls for 80 percent of the jobs at the facility to be open to local residents.
The contract says more than 200 medium to minimum security inmates will be housed in the prison by mid-January. The $27 million detention center has sat empty since it was completed in 2007. It has a maximum capacity of 464 prisoners.
Originally posted by Blaine91555
...........
There must be some palm greasing going on here. Otherwise why would a town that never needed a police force suddenly need one and hire a company that seems to not even be a US company.
Montana does not surprise me for their choice for a training center though. It is likely one of the few places in the country they could set up a paramilitary training camp up without problems with the locals.
I would not be surprised to find out the prison boondoggle wiped out the town and they took advantage of an impending bankruptcy to get what they wanted. Perhaps the Mayor has kept this secret. Just guessing of course. I read the bonds sold to build the prison defaulted.
This may be the only way to save their butts and the Mayor and Council had no choice? That would be a perfect opportunity for an outfit like this to get their foot in the door in the US?