Once upon a time there was a man named Captain Michael, who tried to take over of Hardin, Montana with his American Police Force (APF). Now Miodrag Dokovich, or Captain Michael as he preferred to be called, was from a strange land called California where people live in the lap of luxury and think of people in Montana as hicks and hayseeds.
Official Seal of the City of Hardin, Montana
Well, the town officials initially greeted them with usual warm Montana hospitality and welcomed them into their town with open arms. But soon promises, giving the Hardin town folks everything they wanted including their own police force, turned out too good to be true.
And then Captain Michael’s criminal record in California was revealed in the press and Internet blogs. Meanwhile he was glad handing and mixing with people in Hardin, who truly wanted to believe a savior had been sent to save their town’s ailing economy.
Alas Captain Michael turned out to a fraud and a scoundrel. Reliable news reports, including our own Billings Gazette, have now reported that Captain Michael left town on Thursday, October 1, 2009 in two of his three MB SUVs and has not been heard from or seen again.
Meanwhile back in radio and TV land, talk show hosts from around the country were reporting about the nefarious and odious happenings in Hardin, spinning ever taller tales. Stories and viral emails were being circulated about how the brand new empty jail in town would be used for GITMO detainees once the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba jail was closed by President Obama in February 2010.
Those quickly changed with stories being whisked around the Internet about those bad boys from California coming into town bamboozling the local town folks with promises of untold riches once they were allowed to take over operation of the Two Rivers Detention Center in Hardin.
The stories centered on a foreign army of mercenaries invading the town of Hardin, Montana, a town about 160 miles west of the Terry Badlands. They purportedly brought in twelve darkened out, black, Mercedes Benz SUV’s with the crest of a foreign country and Hardin Police Department emblazoned on them. That turned out to be an overstatement by nine vehicles but the three they brought with them were decked out to impress.
Other reports stated that the mercenaries were armed to the teeth with automatic weapons and had been going around town warning people to register their weapons. Gun towers were being manned by men with telescopic sniper rifles ready to shoot anything or anyone approaching the Two Rivers Detention Center located in Hardin. None of those rumors turned out to be true.
Here are some of the other myths being circulated and my answers:
• Security gates were being built at the entrances into the city – That is nearly impossible
• Gitmo detainees are coming – Denied
• Medical quarantine facility for H1N1 flu epidemic – Impractical
• Obama private citizen army being formed – more Cheney’s Modus Operandi than Obama’s
• Boy Scouts being trained with automatic weapons for Obama’s child army – Turned out it was just a National Guard booth at a local Boy Scout Jamboree
• House-to-house searches for guns – No basis for verifiability and no reports were made to the Sheriff’s Department
• Citizens being pulled over/harassed by private security forces – All reports were from un-named and unverifiable sources, no confirmation by the Sheriff.
• Mandatory H1N1 vaccine inoculation (or face quarantine) – No such federal law exists, would be illogical, impractical and needless
• Whole town is complicit in being illegally searched and seized by private police force– 3,500 people in on this scheme is a stretch of credulity.
• Donated police vehicles being used illegally by persons impersonating police or shadowy private security contractors – none of that is true
The truth is that the Hardin City Council, which makes appointments to the Board of the Two Rivers Authority (TRA), met in session last Thursday, October 1, 2009 at the Big Horn County Courthouse to discuss the matter of taking over policing their own town. It was to be the final public hearing concerning the de-consolidation of law enforcement between Big Horn County and the City of Hardin.
Monies from the TRA with the APF agreement are central to finalizing the de-consolidation. That date was moved from October 1 to October 5 in order to give the public enough time to read the agreement.
Triggering events can put a hold with the on going process, but these events will only have until November 5, 2009 when the de-consolidation process begins.
The triggering events are:
• Petition signed by 15 percent of the county’s registered voters
• Viable court challenge in district court
• Challenges by either governmental body.
Once the agreement is approved and the month-long waiting period is met, the city can start forming its own police department.
The results of all the above is that the jail still sits empty with no prisoners in sight. The town having their own police is now in jeopardy. However, they will live happily ever after. That’s because they are Montanans and the winds blow hard here this time each year and we take comfort in the words of Alexander Pope:
Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.
Bob van der Valk is a resident of Terry, Montana and writes articles about happenings in Eastern Montana for the web site at: http://montanawithkids.com/
He can be reached at: tridemoil@midrivers.com
Dateline: Terry, Montana
October 3, 2009 5:30 AM MDT
By: Bob van der Valk
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:38 am
Please learn about Sheriff Richard Mack. This is no small matter:
“The truth is that the Hardin City Council, which makes appointments to the Board of the Two Rivers Authority (TRA), met in session last Thursday, October 1, 2009 at the Big Horn County Courthouse to discuss the matter of taking over policing their own town. It was to be the final public hearing concerning the de-consolidation of law enforcement between Big Horn County and the City of Hardin.”
Nor is posting a Serbian flag over a city logo. I believe you that it is being hyped into a larger thing than it is, but I am not sure you are not seeing the forest for trees a bit.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 am
The “simple scam” story doesn’t make any sense either. The folks in Hardin have no money to steal! The APF was going to GIVE them a gazillion dollars and a pony. And candy! Where was it all supposed to come from? That’s a 2 million dollar question, no pun intended.
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:10 am
I have to disagree with your statement that they did not impersonate police officers. I think most police officers in most places would call driving into town with a vehicle that has the town name (partial seal with serbian crest on it) and POLICE, while wearing a uniform and badge, would call that impersonation. You do not have to Pretend to be doing police duties to fall afoul of impersonation laws. Go ahead, try it in any decent sized city in the U.S. They would disagree with you as well I think.
Also, you claim hardin just wants its own police, yet when questioned by a reporter on the POLICE decals on the car, BECKY SHAY says “we all know its coming anyway”
I know Hardin doesn’t look like Red Dawn. But you do have more than a “we just got suckered again” deal going on. The promises of free health care, police doing food deliveries, dog shelters etc, should scare the heck out of everyone. This story is a lot deeper than just another sucker punch. Watch as it unfolds….
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:11 am
It’s not a simple scam story that’s why. Granted there are/were alot of myths wrapped up with this story. The problem is I think there is somebody backing him.
Has anyone checked out the west coast address?
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:21 am
Captain Hilton claimed that Allied Defense Systems in Irvine, CA was going to provide the uniforms for guards at the Two Rivers Authoriy Detention Center. Last Wednesday an attorney for company sent him a letter warning him not to use the company’s name.
Edward Angelino, chief executive of Allied Defense Systems, said his company had a meeting with Hilton earlier this month to discuss the Hardin facility.
“We checked his background, we checked his company. He’s not an adequate person to do business with,” Angelino said.
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:22 am
The whole story has not yet been told. Who financed this scam in the making? What/who are the associates of APF? What was to be the goal of this scam, since no money was asked of the community? Most importantly, what were the townsfolk thinking when they built a 27 million dollar jail on credit in the middle of nowhere?
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:55 am
Amazing that none of this seems to be ‘news worthy’ to mainstream media.
How is the Attorney General investigation going ?
Are these clowns not all criminally liable for impersonating an officer of the law ?
Where were their vehicles licensed ? Calif ? Mt ? or ??
Does APF have any confirmed tracks to Blackwater or the goofs in DC ??
TnBob
October 3rd, 2009 at 3:11 pm
The SUV’s were purchased by Michael Hilton from the Mercedes Benz House of Imports in Buena Park, CA last month. They were issued transfer icenses to transport them from California to Montana.
Blackwater no longer exists as an active operating company and has been reformed into three different entities.
The Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock sent a letter to all parties involved on October 2, 2009 requesting copies of any documents and contracts dealing with this matter. He gave them 10 days to comply.
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer on Friday said: “I think a low-level card shark is not going to rise to the level to get some kind of government defense contract,”
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:06 pm
You have to wonder about these ‘Nothing to see here folks!’ stories. There are plenty of questions about that must be answered. Can’t let these things get swept under the rug.
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Looks like the pajamahadeen are closing in on the parent GROUPS. It’s a joint venture, and oh how deep this rabbit hole goes. I’ve posted something at my site, but if you want to go straight to where I got a lot of my most recent info, visit Chris Killz blog:
http://chriskillz503.blogspot.com/
You can take the long route by reading it all, but here’s the upshot if suspicions are correct:
http://www.civilianpolice.com/locations.html
The main suspects: The GEO Group (formerly Wackenhut), SOS International, and KBR (formerly Halliburton). There are more, because this is a big deal: It’s GLOBAL.
Enjoy the show, and don’t let go.
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:47 pm
I haven’t heard any of these ‘myths’ in my research of this situation. It isn’t ‘normal’ for any part of the USA to be invaded by a shady international para-military force. PERIOD. It’s just creepy and wierd and it doesn’t stop here. Did anyone in the Hardin City Council bother to do a background check on this guy? I would like to shrug my shoulders and sigh, “Not my problem” but I’m afraid that soon this will be everyone’s problem!
Anyway, just my humble opinion.
Another MYTH I would like to dispell: not EVERYONE in California lives in the lap of luxery and not EVERYONE in California things of Montana-ites as ‘hicks and hayseeds’ — quit playing steryotype victem.
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Yay Hardin!
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Xe Services, LLC is the new name for BlackwaterUSA
Xe Services, LLC
PO Box 1029
Moyock, NC 27958
U.S. Training Center
PO Box 1029
Moyock, NC 27958
Since Blackwater runs the U.S. Training Center, and the American Police Force stated on its own website, before it was deleted this morning, that it also runs the U.S. Training Center. This means that either APF is lying about running the U.S. Training Center and is therefore effectively posing as Blackwater, or APF and Blackwater are one and the same.
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:58 pm
This looks like an identity theft scam. According to news reports hundreds of people applied for jobs with American Police Force through their website- despite the Serbian Double Eagle logo- and when I looked at the application everything you need to steal someone’s id is on there. Kind of scary for the folks who were duped as I’m guessing Captain Micheal is probably in Mexico by now…
October 4th, 2009 at 5:40 am
Don’t know about you folks but I heard some ET types were doin the nasty with them evil politcos from CANADA. Best I can make is that they have a Hybrid army of mutunts gettn ready to invade these here United States of Obamaland. that Captan Micheal was really part of an alien high guard sent to destroy these mutunts.
best get to gettn while the gettn good Got it!!
October 4th, 2009 at 7:12 am
What if there really is nothing to see here? Like when UFO watchers spotted a space ship but it turned out to be the stealth bomber. At that point everyone said “nothing to see here”.
It’s like saying the first sign of a problem is denial, but that’s also the first sign of not having a problem.
It’s like there’s a dress code in here and nobody told me about it. I feel naked without my tin foil hat.
October 4th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Has anyone noticed that the APF in now the American PRIVATE Police Force on their web page and the logo has changed? Did they get rattled by all the attention? There is something to see here, but I’m not sure what… maybe just a bunch of out-of-control local politicians.
October 4th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Y’all may also want to determine whether or not this prison, which appears to be on Crow land, is in a technically “Constitution Free Zone.” If the town was planning to house Gitmo detainees it just might be. Which means woe to anyone who ends up in that jail because – as the town and the APF have said themselves – they plan to hold US citizens there.
October 4th, 2009 at 9:20 am
The APF is psychologically preparing the american people for martial law. Luckily enough people are smart enough and have resisted this nonsense. Law enforcment, and the military-security-prison- industrial complex are taking over. We are bieng told that we need all these police and laws, and authority to keep us safe. It is not true! I am safe because I will bust somebody’s ass if they mess with me!
October 4th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
You conspiracy theorists are the whackjobs. This dude was clearly intending to scam, not some small hick town, but some large contractors that would have provided lots of $$$$ for a dude who had a contract with a government entity. The Montana yokels were just a stepping-stone to scamming some big bucks. It’s a small-time con man trying to make the big-time, and failing. That’s it.
October 4th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
The city of Hardin is not and has not been under any threat of Marshal law of any sort. The Two Rivers Detention Center (not prison) is not on Crow Land.
As for ‘what the townsfolk were thinking when they built a 27 million dollar jail..’ – again, this is a detention center, not a jail, and the townsfolk built it under advice from Montana Dept. of Corrections – you build it and we will fill it. Unfortunately what they did NOT do was feather the Governor’s nest and so they were stopped at every turn by the Governor – eventually suing the state for interfering with their contracts in light of a recent Attorney General Opinion,requested by Plaintiffs, which opines that Plaintiffs do not have statutory authorityto contract to bring inmates into this State. 52 Op. Atty. Gen. No. 4 (2007)
The residents of the City of Hardin have been working to try to carve out a future for themselves instead of sitting back whining for aid and I think that they deserve kudos for that, not the sort of remarks dished out asking what were they thinking!
October 4th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Having worked in Iraq, I saw first-hand what happens when contractors have no official authorities to oversee ethical operations. If Hardin does hire any civilian police, I hope they mandate true transparency with an ethical and unbiased/unprofitting citizen oversight committee to ensure legality of all operations.
IF this was not just a contract by a career felon–i.e. if he was sponsored/backed by larger entities–then I would fear those entities, since they either used him as a “fall guy” or are not ethical themselves, since who in this day and age of threats against our nation and U.S. Constitution, would hire a career criminal to run a prison?!
Remain vigilant.
October 4th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Walksinlight – You made some good points and I appreciate your comments.
October 5th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Not on Crow land? What a relief.That possibility really had my hackles up. Other articles describe the center as being “on the border” of the reservation which caused out-of-towners to wonder “which side?”
Remember: The whole reason the detainees in Gitmo are where they are is because the US military doesn’t want the prisoners to have the kind of rights that they would have if they were on U.S. soil. G-bay is a legal grey-zone for them. I wonder how the Gitmo detainees status would have changed, had they moved to Hardin. I guess that’s water under the bridge, eh, so it doesn’t matter.
As for Steve Quayle and Alex Jones, they are paid disinfo agents. Their jobs are to confuse and mislead, and to make genuinely concerned individuals look like a bunch of tinfoil hatted nutjobs. It doesn’t change the fact that this APPF deal stinks to high heaven.
I feel bad for the townspeople, especially Becky Shay, who does know she and APPF have the backing of several major transnational corporations, but cannot say who they are. The town really does stand to make some big money if this deal goes through. But is it willing to sell its soul? That’s the 2.1 million dollar question.
The good people of Hardin should demand the name of the parent companies: Likely GEO (formerly Wackenhut)and KBR (formerly Halliburton). They should DEMAND more information about their joint venture, Civilian Police International (CPI), which is being run out of Kosovo, Serbia. Kosovo is an autonomous region run by the U.N.and aligned with the EU.
Bottom line: APPF changing their name and getting rid of the Serbian coat of arms does not change the (apparent) ultimate goal: An inernational, private for-profit police force and jail system (a moral hazard by itself) with a chain of command that bypasses American authority – especially civilian township authority, i.e., the people of Hardin themselves – in favor of a corporate headquarters on the other side of the world.
October 5th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Come on Bob! Tell it like it is.
APF Deal Let Shady Firm Provide Law Enforcement For Hardin
Zachary Roth | October 5, 2009, 4:57PM
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/10/apf_deal_gave_contractor_option_to_provide_law_enf.php
October 5th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Bob, here’s all the latest from today’s development, pretty much in order of occurance:
Changes to APF Website, Contract
http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/63488352.html
APF official seeking to run Hardin jail ordered to appear in California court
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_f98066fe-b1e8-11de-8042-001cc4c002e0.html
New Developments with Hardin Jail
http://www.ktvq.com/Global/story.asp?S=11236327
Montana city’s jail deal delayed amid controversy
By MATTHEW BROWN (AP)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ifOx0LPKy5B_0KAyPHyNTEqdQz6QD9B581P00
Time for all the conspiracy theorists to go home with their tails tucked between their legs, particularly that whack-job Alex Jones.