March 29, 2024

THE FEDERAL POLICE FORCE

Homeland Security “Police” Monitored Tea Party IRS Protests

Agents from the Department of Homeland Security posing as national “police” were deployed across the country this week to monitor and intimidate Tea Party activists, who were peacefully protesting the Obama administration and its abuse of the IRS to target conservative groups. The apparently unlawful spying and bullying has drawn outrage from analysts, experts, and commentators from across the political spectrum worried that the federal government is going off the rails.

From California to Florida and everywhere in between, armed DHS functionaries — part of the so-called “Federal Protective Service” (FPS) — intimidated and spied on peaceful activists, according to protesters in attendance. News reports were filled with pictures and videos of large Homeland Security trucks that said “police” in giant letters, along with armed DHS personnel dressed in “police” outfits. At a rally in Los Angeles, a DHS helicopter was even spotted flying overhead as federal “police” ordered protesters to get off of government property.

More than a few attendees at the rallies expressed fears about being spied on by authorities in the future — or even being targeted by the IRS. Some analysts said the federal show of force was probably an effort by the administration to intimidate Americans into remaining silent, while others speculated that the U.S. government was hoping to provoke a reaction out of the protesters that could be used to demonize activists concerned about lawless federal activities.

Among the most serious concerns cited by critics — aside from federal spying and intimidation of citizens exercising rights guaranteed under the First Amendment — were the giant letters reading “police” emblazoned on DHS vehicles and personnel. Of course, the Constitution does not grant the U.S. government any power to establish a national police force or anything even remotely resembling one.

Indeed, outside of a few federal crimes such as counterfeiting, treason, and piracy, law enforcement is supposed to be a function of state and local government. Analysts also noted that there was absolutely no reason for armed federal bureaucrats to be keeping tabs on a peaceful protest — especially when local police with legitimate jurisdiction could have secured the rallies if needed.

“If you have a police force and it’s out of control, you go down to your mayor and you take care of it with your mayor,” commented conservative pundit Glenn Beck about the latest DHS tactics aimed at Tea Party activists this week. ”But if a national police force is out of control, who exactly do you have?”

Beck, who has a sizeable following and a growing media machine, also said Homeland Security was supposed to be for airports. “They were the guys with the really crappy uniforms that have the rubber gloves who were feeling you up at the airport and you’re laughing at them,” he continued. “This is a labor union police force, a federal labor union police force. This is not good.”

A caller on the show who helped organize a 400-person rally targeted by DHS in Cincinnati, meanwhile, noted that it was not the first time he had seen federal functionaries sporting “police” outfits. “Congress needs to wake up,” the caller said on the program. “Maybe they’re part of it, I don’t know, but they need to look into this. We are creating a national police force that’s keeping an eye on us and intimidating us.”

The Tea Party demonstrations against the U.S. tax agency at IRS offices across the country, held on May 22, were sparked by recent admissions from senior officials that conservative groups had been singled out for special scrutiny and inappropriate questioning by authorities. Outraged lawmakers in both political parties and much of the establishment press agreed that the IRS behavior was absolutely unacceptable. More than seven out of ten Americans thought so, too, and even President Obama publicly feigned concern about the scandal.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet “Big Sis” Napolitano and the increasingly intrusive domestic espionage apparatus, however, evidently did not see it that way. Under the Obama administration, multiple federal agencies and departments — including DHS — have issued absurd “intelligence” reports based on discredited sources claiming that the real threat to the “Homeland” is actually conservatives. Pro-life activists, Ron Paul supporters, constitutionalists, veterans, people who believe in individual liberty, and countless others are officially in the crosshairs.

Based on recent polls, that includes almost 70 percent of American voters, who in a survey released this week said they “feel like the federal government has gotten out of control and is threatening the basic civil liberties of Americans.” Even among Democrats, almost half agree that Washington, D.C., is out of control — more than the number who disagreed. Left-wing organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union have also blasted Homeland Security’s lawless spying on peaceful protesters.

“This type of government monitoring and tracking of lawful demonstrations and political speech can have a chilling effect on Americans’ exercise of their rights to free speech and assembly,” Robyn Greene with the ACLU Washington Legislative Office noted in 2011 after learning that DHS “police” were spying on activists, apparently under the false impression that such behavior was legal. “This is especially true when those demonstrations advocate positions that are in opposition to government policy…. No agency or department in government has the right to monitor the peaceful and lawful political activities and speech of Americans.”

While only a tiny fraction of the growing number of Americans worried about lawless government attended rallies on Tuesday, Homeland Security made sure that its presence was felt. According to news reports, self-styled federal “police” were observed scoping out protests or intimidating activists all across California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and other states. Analysts lashed out at the perceived abuse of power.

“Why aren’t DHS officers protecting the homeland against foreign enemies armed with explosives and hate? Perhaps because the Obama Administration is more worried about domestic ‘enemies’ armed with the Constitution and love of country,” wrote Sally Zelikovsky about the scandal in the American Thinker. She also said the administration sending out DHS agents to spy on Tea Party protests was “further evidence of the Soviet-style ‘War on Dissent.’ ”

“One would think they would be just a bit more circumspect and maybe even exercise a modicum of restraint before dispersing KGB, I mean, DHS agents to free speech rallies protected under the Constitution,” Zelikovsky continued in her stinging criticism of the department’s latest activities. “The fact that they did this so blatantly despite the scrutiny they are under is symptomatic of a government on the verge of a constitutional breakdown — a government that doesn’t hesitate to bully the little guy while giving the Constitution the proverbial political finger.”

The New American reached out to DHS with a series of questions: Why were the agents at these protests? How does DHS respond to critics of this who say it was spying, intimidation, unnecessary, and chilling? Why did the DHS vehicles and personnel have “police” written on them? Does DHS operate a federal police force now? If so, under what statutory or constitutional authority has DHS established a police force? Was permission for the DHS presence obtained from local authorities?

fEDERAL POLICE FORCEDHS Federal Protective Service Chief of Public Affairs Jacqueline C. Yost responded with a brief statement. “The Federal Protective Service (FPS) protects more than 9,000 federal buildings and 1.4 million federal employees and visitors who occupy them throughout the country every day,” she said. “FPS is committed to carrying out this mission in a manner that protects the public’s civil rights and civil liberties including freedom of speech and the right to peacefully protest.”

Of course, along with the rest of the Obama administration, DHS has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years amid a wide assortment of scandals. Among the most outrageous: Spying on peaceful protesters, sealing contracts for massive amounts of ammunition, stockpiling “weapons of war,” molesting air travelers, expanding its powers, defying court orders, issuing wild reports painting regular Americans as potential terrorists, squandering huge sums of money on extra-constitutional “fusion centers,” training local authorities to become extensions of the federal government, and more.

Congress has held hearings and a few lawmakers have introduced legislation to rein in the department, which is perceived by critics as an out-of-control behemoth that could easily be abused. As the outcry among Americans continues to mount, calls for abolishing the DHS are growing as well. Unsurprisingly, the latest developments have already contributed to the furor. Whether any action will be taken by Congress, however, remains to be seen.

 

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A Federal Police Force?

The American Police Force's logo is the Serbian flag

Something very strange is going on in some towns and cities across the United States — men in SUVs who call themselves “American Police Force” or “Federal Protective Services.”

Under the United States Constitution, there can be no such thing as an American or Federal police force. Any kind of national police force is not only unconstitutional; it is anathema to everything American law and jurisprudence is built upon. Law enforcement is clearly and plainly the responsibility of the states and local communities.

However, Paul Craig Roberts tells us that:

A provision in the Patriot Act creates a new federal police force with power to violate the Bill of Rights. You might think that this cannot be true as you have not read about it in newspapers or heard it discussed by talking heads on TV. Go to House Report 109-333 USA PATRIOT IMPROVEMENT AND REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005 and check it out for yourself.

Sec. 605 reads: “There is hereby created and established a permanent police force, to be known as the ’United States Secret Service Uniformed Division’.”

This new federal police force is “subject to the supervision of the Secretary of Homeland Security.” The new police are empowered to “make arrests without warrant for any offense against the United States committed in their presence, or for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United States if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing such felony.”

The new police are assigned a variety of jurisdictions, including “an event designated under section 3056(e) of title 18 as a special event of national significance” (SENS).

The “American Police Force” first appeared  (September 2009) in the little town of Hardin, Montana. (For a local TV station’s report on this, go HERE.) As recounted by Chuck Baldwin, in his October 9, 2009 column:

Private mercenary forces have been used extensively throughout the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, as well as in many other theaters….without oversight or accountability. (Can anyone say, “Blackwater”?) For the most part, the American people are unfamiliar with these mercenary forces, because they normally operate in foreign theaters of war….

In the little town of Hardin, Montana…a private security firm, American Police Force (APF), has been contracted to provide all police services and to manage the operation of the town’s jail. According to local news reports out of Billings, Montana, “American Police Force officials showed up in Mercedes SUV’s that had ‘Hardin Police’ stenciled on the vehicles. The twist, the city of Hardin doesn’t have a police department.

Until now, the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office was responsible for patrolling the city. Two Rivers Authority [Hardin’s economic development agency] officials say having APF patrol the streets was never part of their agenda. (Source: KULR-8 Television, Billings, Montana)

However, numerous Hardin citizens have testified to APF mercenaries patrolling Hardin’s streets.

That a mercenary organization would take the moniker American Police Force is, by itself, disconcerting. But there is much more.

Local protests against the introduction of APF mercenaries in Hardin have already caused APF to change its name. Late news reports state that the private contractor is now operating under the name of American Private Police Force. In the meantime, Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock has launched an investigation into the Hardin matter.

APF touts itself as providing security and investigative work to clients in “all 50 States and most Countries.” It boasts having “rapid response units awaiting our orders worldwide.” It further brags that it can field a battalion-sized team of Special Forces soldiers “within 72 hours.” APF states that it “plays a critical role in helping the U.S. government meet vital homeland security and national defense needs.”

Yet, an Associated Press search of two comprehensive federal government contractor databases turned up no record of American Police Force. Representatives of security trade groups said they had never heard of APF. Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel for the Professional Services Council, said, “They’re really invisible.”

An attorney for APF, Maziar Mafi, said the company was a spin-off of a major security firm, but declined to name the parent company or give any other details. But at least one source reports, “American Police Force, the paramilitary unit patrolling a small town in Montana, has been exposed as being a front group for the disgraced private military contractor Blackwater, now called ‘Xe’.”

According to numerous local news reports, APF’s lead figure has a criminal history. APF’s head is a man named Michael Hilton. And recent revelations have turned up the fact that Hilton has served several years in jail–along with being served several civil judgments–for fraud….

Adding to the dubious image of APF is the accusation that their on-the-ground leaders seem to be Russians. According to Hardin residents, the APF officer in charge had a “thick Russian accent.” (Of course, Hilton himself is Serbian, and it appears that many of his personnel are likewise Serbian.) Residents also state that they were told seventy-five percent of the security officers that were to be trained would be “international.” [Comment by Eowyn: According to the Western Voices World News, the American Police Force’s logo is the Serbian flag!]

 

Flag of Serbia

Flag of Serbia

…All of the above is disconcerting enough, but when one factors in President Barack Obama’s desire to create a “Civilian Defense Force,” potential problems only intensify. For example, in 1995, the United Nations’ International Police Task Force (UNIPTF) was created. Ostensibly, the UNIPTF was formed to “carry out programs of police assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina.” Then, in 2003 the Civilian Police International (CPI) was created. This was a joint venture between the U.S. State Department and such notable private companies as Wackenhut and Kellogg Brown & Root (a Halliburton company; and, by the way, so is Blackwater. But this is just a coincidence, right?). The stated purpose was for “international law enforcement and criminal justice programs.” Inertia for mercenary-style (backed by the federal–or even international–government) law enforcement has been growing ever since.

The question must then be asked: “Could the whole APF and Hardin, Montana, affair be a test run for Obama’s budding Civilian Defense Force?”

The phenomenon is not confined to Hardin, Montana. George Ure of UrbanSurvival.com first wrote about this when he posted, yesterday, an E-mail he got from a reader in Los Angeles:

federal police

“I drove up from Laguna Hills to downtown Los Angeles…. I was approaching Santa Monica Boulevard on the 101 (Hollywood) Freeway when I saw a rather odd public service vehicle, a white Suburban SUV with royal blue print on the side (the only word of which I could discern…was ‘POLICE’). It did not look like LAPD, CHP, LA Co. Sheriff or California State Police (which would just about cover all of the agencies whose vehicles one would expect to see on an LA freeway).

I didn’t think much of it… When I was up on Santa Monica Boulevard on the bridge over the freeway in the left turn pocket, another of those white Suburban’s with the royal blue lettering pulled up next to me and a second one pulled up behind me. I could now clearly see all of the wording on the trucks…. They said on the driver and passenger side doors the following: POLICE FEDERAL And then, on the rear fenders, it said DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

Suddenly, a third of these Suburbans went racing by in the right lane with its sirens blaring and its bubble machine on…. Then the one to the right of me turns on its siren, honks its horn, lunges to the right, and also races up the boulevard. Then the guy behind me honks his horn, hits his siren and bubble machine and also races up the street.

On the tailgates of each of these trucks it said:

POLICE

FEDERAL

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Since when did we establish a federal police force? It has always been one of the proud aspects of our freedom in this country that we never have had a national police force. The FBI does not perform the full range of police functions, but only investigates federal crimes and occasionally assists with technical means when requested by local agencies. Never has the FBI driven around in bubble machined cars or trucks with the word “POLICE” emblazoned on the sides. The only federal police force that I’m aware of are the guys who patrol D.C. and the government buildings there. I do not recall during the discussion of the establishment of the DHS anything about having a national police force. Its existence is certainly news to me.

Naturally, my concern is that Bush (and now Obama) imposed a national police force on us and we did not even know about it. This looks like yet another step on the road to an authoritarian police state.”

Today, George Ure posted the following E-mails from other readers:

“The white vehicles with blue writing are part of the Federal Protective Services under DHS. You can read about them on the net, photos included. Their duties continue to expand, overlapping in my opinion, those duties of other law enforcement agencies, but what do I know. Perhaps very soon everything will be under DHS…….or is it already……..must of missed the memo.”

“To quote another reader, ‘Naturally, my concern is that Bush (and now Obama) imposed a national police force on us and we did not even know about it. This looks like yet another step on the road to an authoritarian police state.’

Seems to me Obama DID tell us about it. That would be part of the civilian force that’s as well-trained and funded as the military. Of course Homeland Security was the logical starting place for the creation of a federal police farce.”

WHAT IS GOING ON??

Finally, you should know that Obama has told Congress he supports renewing three provisions of the Patriot Act which are due to expire at year’s end. The measures make it easier for our government to spy within the United States.

UPDATE:

I received an e-mail from beloved GiovanniWorld member Cecil Moon, for whom I have the utmost respect. He said that he had looked into the Hardin, Montana case and concluded that “In short, what I learned was the community of Hardin, Montana had been scammed by a career criminal and bogus military man who had presented the depressed town with an opportunity to capitalize on a newly constructed and largely useless prison for their betterment.”

However, that STILL does not remove the matter of Section 605 of the Patriot Act, which, I submit, is of even graver concern.

OK Guys and Girls, They really are here, it just isn’t rumor any more.   This recently received from a friend.

Right here in western Colorado :

 

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October 26, 2013 via Facebook Mobile on my phone.

 

So, as I was about to park, I saw this vehicle, so I quickly got out of my car and took a picture as it drove by.

As the driver saw me do this, he slammed on the brakes, and asked, “Do you have a problem?”  To which I replied, “Just taking a picture. Is that illegal now?”

He then eked forward a few feet and stayed there in the middle of the road for about a minute and a half until a car approached him from behind, forcing him to move.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the FEDERAL POLICE FORCE (or Federal Protective Service, or United States Secret Service Uniformed Division as they are also known) we have been hearing about and the actual recipients of all that billions (yes, billions) of rounds of ammunition that is being produced for and procured by the Social Security Admin, The IRS, and other various government agencies for what purpose.  They are here, right in Downtown Grand Junction. What is the real purpose of a Federal Protective Service and why do we need them?

Feel safe yet?

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