Michelle Malkin » What’s happening in Hardin, Montana?

What’s happening in Hardin, Montana?

By Michelle Malkin • September 30, 2009 12:04 PM

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.

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#101

On September 30th, 2009 at 3:39 pm, sonofdy said:

Isn’t Soros Hungarian? Close enough for hand-grenades.

Don’t tell a serb that if you value your testicals. They faught a genocidal war against each other during WW I.

Kinda like confusing Japanesse and Korean but only worse.
#102

On September 30th, 2009 at 3:41 pm, RedDog said:

On September 30th, 2009 at 12:54 pm, chicagojedi said:
Replacement for Gitmo? Nope. Training facility for Citizen Army?

You guys are all over this… sorry for my amateurish stroke.
#103

On September 30th, 2009 at 3:45 pm, sonofdy said:

The serbs lost 370,000 out of a total population of 5,000,000.
#104

On September 30th, 2009 at 3:46 pm, RedDog said:

On September 30th, 2009 at 1:21 pm, sonofdy said:
chicagojedi: No they couldn’t hold off 1 million, but they could do alot of damage. I saw what they did in Bosnia.

Not if you have a rogue Air Force crew with a MOAB or fuel-air bomb..
#105

On September 30th, 2009 at 3:55 pm, spaceycakes said:

sonofdy–that’s kinda what I meant. Hungary & Serbia are close (in borders only).
#106

On September 30th, 2009 at 4:36 pm, MarcoPolo said:

On September 30th, 2009 at 12:33 pm, Freddy said:

Training facilities and a rifle range sounds like xe/blackwater, or whatever they call themselves these days, or some competing group.

Their now-removed web page had some text directly copied from the XE (Blackwater) page.
#107

On September 30th, 2009 at 4:37 pm, Surveyor said:

Video to watch….

Very strange stuff going on in Hardin.
#108

On September 30th, 2009 at 5:00 pm, 24Klady said:

Residents of MT need to show these people the unwelcome mat. The website for American Police Force is downright classic Clancy material. APF has more tenticles than an octopus. I cannot see a worldwide organization wanting to run a little bitty prison in the wilds of MT. – oh, and a multi-million dollar training facilities with live fire range. Does not pass smell test.
#109

On September 30th, 2009 at 5:18 pm, MarcoPolo said:

On September 30th, 2009 at 5:00 pm, 24Klady said:

Does not pass smell test.

You know what this reminds me of? This reminds me of how the Scientologists came into Clearwater.

That was before the internet took off, so the citizen investigators weren’t a factor, but according to the newspapers, their real identity was buried under mountains and mountains of dummy corporations. Only after the deal was done did the city find out what they had just done.
#110

On September 30th, 2009 at 5:23 pm, WarEagle82 said:

Gosh, you would have thought their habit of jumping up and down on the sofas in city hall would have been a dead give away…

On September 30th, 2009 at 5:18 pm, MarcoPolo said:

You know what this reminds me of? This reminds me of how the Scientologists came into Clearwater.

That was before the internet took off, so the citizen investigators weren’t a factor, but according to the newspapers, their real identity was buried under mountains and mountains of dummy corporations. Only after the deal was done did the city find out what they had just done.
#111

On September 30th, 2009 at 5:34 pm, thetoysurgeon said:

So much arceage..maybe its the “killing fields” where serbian mercs will kill off the conservatives..remember Ayers said that at least 25,000 hardcore conservative patriots would have to be eliminated…or maybe its the civilain defense force training with large caliber AT weapons….whatever its sounds suspicious
#112

On September 30th, 2009 at 7:14 pm, beenthere said:

remember Ayers said that at least 25,000 hardcore conservative patriots would have to be eliminated

I thought the figure was 25 million but I would guess that would depend upon the definition of “hardcore.” Are there 25 million hardcore conservatives in American? I hope so, at least that many.
#113

On September 30th, 2009 at 9:13 pm, rworks said:

Based on the amateur hour website and the general looniness of it all, I wonder if this isn’t a put on job or a viral campaign for a movie or TV show?
#114

On September 30th, 2009 at 9:33 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

I was never too thrilled with private jails and prisons designed to ease overcrowding.That Double Eagle on their web page brings up ugly images with all the czars we are getting.

Russian Imperial Double-Headed Eagle

Paranoia? Perhaps, but Bill Ayres is PBHO new daddy, at least he was before Axelrod. If our President really needs a father figure he should choose Wood Allen or Roman Polanski.
—
And good lads I would rather stand with the Serbs than the Bosnian jihadist. Bosnia declared itself “The Islamic Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina” ; the Bosnian muslims were recruited by the SS to exterminate the Serb from Europe.

You would fight dirty too. Or you could believe Dan Rather and kin.
#115

On October 1st, 2009 at 12:55 am, Twoconservative said:

Here is the latest local report. It seems Mr. Hilton has quite a criminal past!

http://www.billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_023e1c90-ae1b-11de-8891-001cc4c03286.html“>
#116

On October 1st, 2009 at 2:49 am, LifeTrek said:

Oh man, I love Hardin — I was forced to stay there when our rooms were overbooked in Billings on the way home from the coast. Nice people, nice little restaurant, bar, and motel!
#117

On October 1st, 2009 at 8:36 am, thetoysurgeon said:

After reading AKA “Hilton’s” rap sheet it looks like he would fit right in to Obama’s plan. Another criminal.
#118

On October 1st, 2009 at 8:37 am, thetoysurgeon said:

They slap “American” on it to make it legit?
#119

On October 1st, 2009 at 9:13 am, sonofdy said:

ArizonaNeanderthal: Its serbian. The 4 c’s give it away.
#120

On October 1st, 2009 at 9:55 am, WarEagle82 said:

Well, with all that experience Hilton should be able to run a prison, a bank or be a lawyer!

Oh, and sorry. I would have sworn I heard stealth helicopters coming to take away Michelle but it turned out to be a problem with the new electric can opener….

On October 1st, 2009 at 12:55 am, Twoconservative said:

Here is the latest local report. It seems Mr. Hilton has quite a criminal past!

http://www.billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_023e1c90-ae1b-11de-8891-001cc4c03286.html“>
#121

On October 4th, 2009 at 10:22 pm, Eyas said:

When the Fed Govt FORCES people to accept the H1N1 Swine Flu shot; what will happen to those who refuse?

Will they be forcibly injected … or quarantined?

Where, exactly, will they be quarantined?

Ask yourself how many good little Leftists will refuse such a “reasonable” “request” from their beloved Federal government? So, who, exactly will require “quarantine”?