Koch Bodyguards Got Police Badges From Same Tiny Town as Mercer

[HCM]

Are you talking about agency coordinated detail work?

I'm talking about using creds on your own volition to carry a gun as part of employment for another security gig.......not something organized by the department, where you're still working for the department.

This is very much a regional thing. Working off duty in uniform is unheard of in the NYC/NJ metro area outside large OT events through the Dept like parades. In the south and the west, it’s common.

I’ve seen both. Agency organized details are usually in uniform, though not all uniform gigs are Agency organized. In fact I’ve heard of former LEOs getting arrested here for impersonation because they were working side gigs in their old uniform.

Here we have cops working off duty in uniform at malls, directing traffic at churches, and sitting in their own emergency light equipped cars at road construction.

Various plainclothes security gigs not organized via the Dept are common here as well. There are usually caveats, certain locations like strip clubs are frowned upon or prohibited and pre approval may be required. Guys still work off the books gigs in plainclothes though. Babysitting visiting business men, loss prevention at retail stores etc.

[andre3k]

Bodyguards for the family of billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch used police badges from a tiny New Mexico town that authorized them to carry concealed weapons in all 50 U.S. states, according to documents seen by Bloomberg News. The Lake Arthur police department that awarded the badges for volunteer service is the same one that for years provided a similar perk to Robert Mercer, the 71-year-old New York hedge fund manager and a key financial backer of President Donald Trump.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...town-as-mercer

Hmmm. I wonder how this article would go over on Primary & Secondary

[LtDave]

Does LEOSA cover you for hired security work or do you have to be licensed and approved to carry a gun in the state you are working as well?

Don't know about other states, but in California you have to be licensed as a security guard and with a gun permit in addition to any peace officer status. I used to be licensed as a PI in CA at the same time I was a sworn peace officer. I was not allowed to carry a concealed weapon while working as a PI unless I had a CCW permit in addition to my peace officer status. My local PD where I lived in LA Country wouldn't issue me a CCW.

[GRV]

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned already, unless I missed it. Or maybe it's omission was intentional. This is the same town that gave "Roland" his reserve credentials, which was a subject of some flaming when his controversy got played out on the internet. At the time, I seem to recall myself interpreting the words of some intelligent, in-the-know people to be thinly veiled hints that Lake Arthur was operating as some sort of front for real-life Sicario-esque antics. I interpreted this veiled suggestion as an attempt to tell those flaming the Lake Arthur situation that they were somehow missing out on information that would make them reconsider their moral disapproval. Nothing that has come time light recently precludes the possibility of this being the case, however the Koch and Mercer stories seem to be pretty compelling evidence that Lake Arthur is a badge factory for the rich regardless of what other enterprises it may or may not be engaged in. The fact that the same name has come up multiple times in questionable circumstances has left this place failing the smell test in an pretty epic way.

Back during the Roland situation, I remember some Google snooping on Lake Arthur returning some interesting results. Like fundraising for odd equipment, K9s, etc. I can't remember the details besides the fact that it led me to feel that something fishy was going on there, at that was all I needed to know. I don't know if those things are still readily discoverable post recent attention to the place. Whatever the story is, it doesn't sound like the sort of place I'd ever want my name associated with.

[Dagga Boy]

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned already, unless I missed it. Or maybe it's omission was intentional. This is the same town that gave "Roland" his reserve credentials, which was a subject of some flaming when his controversy got played out on the internet. At the time, I seem to recall myself interpreting the words of some intelligent, in-the-know people to be thinly veiled hints that Lake Arthur was operating as some sort of front for real-life Sicario-esque antics. I interpreted this veiled suggestion as an attempt to tell those flaming the Lake Arthur situation that they were somehow missing out on information that would make them reconsider their moral disapproval. Nothing that has come time light recently precludes the possibility of this being the case, however the Koch and Mercer stories seem to be pretty compelling evidence that Lake Arthur is a badge factory for the rich regardless of what other enterprises it may or may not be engaged in. The fact that the same name has come up multiple times in questionable circumstances has left this place failing the smell test in an pretty epic way.

Back during the Roland situation, I remember some Google snooping on Lake Arthur returning some interesting results. Like fundraising for odd equipment, K9s, etc. I can't remember the details besides the fact that it led me to feel that something fishy was going on there, at that was all I needed to know. I don't know if those things are still readily discoverable post recent attention to the place. Whatever the story is, it doesn't sound like the sort of place I'd ever want my name associated with.

A couple things. The USG places doing interesting things to bad people don’t need Lake Arthur PD as a cover. The folks they can “borrow” can get credentialed a ton of ways that do not need a Lake Arthur badge. I am aware of several of their badge carriers that are world class posers and bullshiters. Not all, but likely the “I am secretly working Cartels for the CIA” ones. Also, the Chief is on Admin leave and the reserve program terminated by the mayor. He was likely surprised about all the rich donors and huge amounts of money being funneled through that the Lake Arthur town has seen none of but is set up in a couple different slush funds.

[VT1032]

http://www.kob.com/new-mexico-news/l...force/4864225/

The chief in question has resigned. The article says the Sheriff's Office is taking over policing.

[LtDave]

http://www.kob.com/new-mexico-news/l...force/4864225/

The chief in question has resigned. The article says the Sheriff's Office is taking over policing.

In that case, all those reserve badges likely just became worthless. I'm guessing the local sheriff is not going to "hire" all those guys as deputies.

[Jaywalker]

In that case, all those reserve badges likely just became worthless. I'm guessing the local sheriff is not going to "hire" all those guys as deputies.

I wonder whether if that's true. Most states (not Massachusetts) have a police officer credentialing agency and as I understand it, when a police officer is terminated or a department is disbanded, the state level credential remains in effect, unless someone makes the effort to cancel them. If the credential remains in effect those who lost badges have a much easier route to get a new one based on existing state credentials.

[TGS]

I wonder whether if that's true. Most states (not Massachusetts) have a police officer credentialing agency and as I understand it, when a police officer is terminated or a department is disbanded, the state level credential remains in effect, unless someone makes the effort to cancel them. If the credential remains in effect those who lost badges have a much easier route to get a new one based on existing state credentials.

You mean they're still credentialed by a commission (TCOLE for you, or PTC for NJ, etc) to serve as a police officer? Are you saying that being credentialed by that commission still confers LE power? I would think they'd lose a case if they tried to claim LEOSA coverage at this point because they're not authorized by the department (which doesn't even exist at this point) to carry weapons and conduct arrests. They're not LEOs in any way of the imagination at this point.

In other words, the badge is useless. I guess I could be entirely wrong, though, as over the past few days I learned that cops in Texas can wear their uniform, representing their agency and using their LE powers to work a private job for Joe Schmoe, which blew my fucking mind. So I guess anything is possible.

[Jaywalker]

You mean they're still credentialed by a commission (TCOLE for you, or PTC for NJ, etc) to serve as a police officer? Are you saying that being credentialed by that commission still confers LE power?

No, I said "If the credential remains in effect those who lost badges have a much easier route to get a new one" (i.e., new badge) "based on existing state credentials." Like you, I suspect a badge from a non-existent police force has no legal power. I do think, however, that someone who can afford to make it worthwhile for a department has an easier route to new badge issue.