Blackwater acting as law enforcement in the U.S.?

[VoiceofReason]

I went off on a tangent reading about this and that and ran across something a little scary that I didn’t know about Blackwater. Supposedly according to Wikipedia they were being used as law enforcement after Hurricane Katrina. What????

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_USA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; "Non-Iraq services"

"Blackwater Worldwide was employed to assist the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts on the Gulf Coast. According to a company press release, it provided airlift, security, logistics, and transportation services, as well as humanitarian support. It was reported that the company also acted as law enforcement in the disaster-stricken areas, for example securing neighborhoods and confronting criminals" "securing neighborhoods"?????

I would like to know how this was done. In Texas you have to be licensed by the “Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education” and be employed by a state, county or municipal law enforcement agency to act in a law enforcement capacity.

[The Annoyed Man]

I went off on a tangent reading about this and that and ran across something a little scary that I didn’t know about Blackwater. Supposedly according to Wikipedia they were being used as law enforcement after Hurricane Katrina. What????

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_USA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; "Non-Iraq services"

"Blackwater Worldwide was employed to assist the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts on the Gulf Coast. According to a company press release, it provided airlift, security, logistics, and transportation services, as well as humanitarian support. It was reported that the company also acted as law enforcement in the disaster-stricken areas, for example securing neighborhoods and confronting criminals" "securing neighborhoods"?????

I would like to know how this was done. In Texas you have to be licensed by the “Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education” and be employed by a state, county or municipal law enforcement agency to act in a law enforcement capacity.

Consider the source which the Wiki article links to: http://www.democracynow.org/2005/9/12/o ... _deploy_in

The democracynow.org website has this to say about themselves: http://www.democracynow.org/about. Basically, they are an ULTRA leftist organization. Their assertion about Blackwater operatives being deputized by the Governor of Louisiana at the time is highly suspect. Kathleen Blanco is/was a liberal democrat machine politician, who delayed and dithered about whether or not to work with President Bush in getting disaster aid to N.O. Now, Bush had his own issues, and he did not handle the situation particularly well either, but he was bound by constitutional reasons from acting sooner without Blanco's cooperation. And she did not cooperate. Do you really think that a leftist Kathleen Blanco would have deputized much-hated-by-the-left Blackwater operatives to act as LEOs in N.O.? Personally, I don't believe that she would have; in which case, either the reporter is lying, or the operative he quoted is lying. Given democracynow.org's institutional hostility toward Blackwater (just read their website), I have severe doubts that they would be telling the truth.

Furthermore, at the time anyway, Blackwater maintained a large training facility in Louisiana, and it used to be incorporated in Louisiana, so it is not entirely beyond the scope of reason to imagine that Blackwater operatives organized on their own - perhaps with the company's blessings - to assist in disaster relief..... .....as did lots of other citizens.

I'm not saying that Blackwater folks are all angels, but I know a couple, and I've met one or two others, and they all struck me as relatively decent folks with a special skill set. So I tend not to buy into all the hyperventilation about what they do, and their alleged ulterior motives.

[PUCKER]

I didn't read any of the links posted but I seem to recall that Blackwater forces were involved with Katrina as security detail/logistics. I think I recall seeing pics of Blackwater personnel (badges/uniforms that were labeled as such, from what I recall) that a buddy took.

[bdickens]

I don't believe it for a minute. No one in the MSM would ever make up a story out of whole cloth and then used forged doccuments to corroborate it. Never.

[baldeagle]

I don't believe it for a minute. No one in the MSM would ever make up a story out of whole cloth and then used forged doccuments to corroborate it. Never.

[bayouhazard]

I don't know the law in Louisiana but here in Texas there are reserve and auxiliary programs that would seem to allow for such assistance during emergencies from well armed citizens who aren't full time peace officers.

[VoiceofReason]

I was not intending to bash Blackwater. What I thought was scary was the idea of a private security firm, any private security firm acting in a law enforcement capacity.

There are, in fact reserve and auxiliary law enforcement officers in Texas and they serve an important function. Reserve law enforcement officers must also have formal school and training and have to be licensed by the “Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education” before they can carry a sidearm and perform the duties of a law enforcement officer. I don’t know for sure but I believe the auxiliary departments are not required to have this training, or be licensed, nor can they make arrests.

I can believe AndyC and TAM concerning this whole brouhaha being manufactured but I would also hope that no state or city government would be so stupid as to deputize a private security firm to act in a law enforcement capacity. They may be good people and have good intentions but I would think that very few have the necessary training.

[PUCKER]

Here's one article (of many) about Blackwater and *other* private security firms hired to protect private and gov't. property after Katrina:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/ ... age2.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

**edited to add: I'm not saying any of it is true...just that there are articles saying it happened, and my gut tells me that it did.

[VoiceofReason]

Here's one article (of many) about Blackwater and *other* private security firms hired to protect private and gov't. property after Katrina:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/ ... age2.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

**edited to add: I'm not saying any of it is true...just that there are articles saying it happened, and my gut tells me that it did.

Prince, a staunch right-wing Christian??? As opposed to a staunch left-wing atheist???

[baldeagle]

It appears that the story is true, although the reality doesn't quite match the hype of the OP's article.

He said the employees he has dispatched to the Gulf Coast are typically Americans who have retired from law enforcement jobs. They are armed with pistols and dressed in khaki pants and blue polo shirts. "They're licensed, mature people," he said. "On balance, they're sort of an older crowd than people we have in hotter spots around the world."

Not exactly your fearsome warrior types. Sort of more like us.

[PUCKER]

Some friends and I made a supply run down to the area for a friend's brother and his neighbors. We brought down cash, food, water, gasoline, generator, extra guns and ammo, etc. They had their own neighborhood patrol set up (meaning they themselves patrolled their neighborhood) as did many other neighborhoods.

[Liberty]

In the aftermath of Katrina it was the police that were the lawless. It was they who were shiooting and killing citizens, it was the police cleaned out the Cadillac dealer ship, of their new cars. It was the police who went into that old ladys home and roughed her up to confiscate her guns., and it was the police who were throwing the guns into the salt water.

While the police were having themselves a good ole time in their newly created police state. I didn't hear of anything bad that Blackwater was doing. Maybe during the evacuations they should kick out all the police and let the neighbor watches run things. I think that My property loses would have been somewhat lessoned during Rita if the cops stayed away and let us taxpayers salvage and protect our stuff a little earlier.

Just my thoughts, but I'm still a little bitter about them roping off Galveston and letting only the well connected in.