There is an interesting case developing in California where police have arrested three people, including Brandon Kiel, 31 (left), an aide to California Attorney General (and Senate candidate) Kamala Harris. Kiel and Tonette Hayes, 56, and David Henry, 46, were arrested for allegedly operating an illegitimate “police department” that traces its origins to the Knights Templar. They claimed to be running a 3000 year old police organization founded by the Templar Knights with jurisdiction in 33 states and Mexico.
Kiel has been working as deputy director of community affairs at the California Department of Justice and is now on administrative leave.
Various police chiefs apparently raised concerns after receiving a letter announcing the new leadership of the group. Later a man identifying himself as Kiel (claiming to be the “chief deputy director”) called to arrange meetings with different departments. In one such meeting, a command officer said that Henry and Hayes showed up in black jumpsuits wearing police patchers with their names on the uniform along with stars indicating that they were high-ranking officers. Hayes was carrying a handgun and wearing a utility belt. The officer said that the three told him that they were opening a new Canyon Country police station. Kiel reportedly gave him an business care from the Department of Justice.
The website for the group traced their origins to the Knights Templar in 1100 – a curious choice since the Knights Templar were ultimately declared outlaws and hunted down. After emerging during the Crusades, the Order continued to grow, including in areas like banking. The power of the order and its secrecy (and possibly the debt owed to it) led to order of a roundup by King Philip IV of France on the infamous Friday the 13th on October 13, 1307 . Many were tortured brutally, including Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay who was ultimately burned at the stake. The order was disbanded in 1312.
Yet, it appears to be flourishing in California according to the site which explains “When asked what is the difference between the Masonic Fraternal Police Department and other Police Departments the answer is simple for us. We were here first!”
The case would remain somewhat problematic in claiming that the creation of such an organization is the same as impersonating police officers except for the appearance of Hayes and Henry. However, police say that they executed as search warrant and found badges, weapons, uniforms and law enforcement paraphernalia. Once again, however, there remains that question of whether some of this material is available to the public and whether the accused truly held themselves out as officers. They are accused of impersonating an officer. Henry is also accused of perjury while Kiel is accused of misusing his government identification. It is not clear if any money exchanged hands — creating a case for fraud.
The last two charges may be easier to prove. However, any trial would be made all the more difficult by the fact that most of the witnesses would be officers in uniform. These faux Knight Templars will fare better than the likes of Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay.
Attorneys have advanced degrees and ruin the lives of more people than cops. Same w/ teachers, nurses, docs, etc. I value education. But, it is elitist to think college is a panacea. I live part of the year in Madison. They have a college degree requirement. It helps get good people but is not the key IMO. Much more than that policy, they have an unwritten policy of recruiting good people from other professions. People who have a track record of being mature, level headed, etc. You need to get people w/ the right temperament. An intelligent, perceptive, even tempered, electrician, w/ a good work history, will be better than a college educated frat boy, hot head. However, I personally know cops who had all the right stuff. They are forced to work in an inner city war climate. We stretched our soldiers deployment in war and have some very broken men w/ PTSD. It is painfully obvious to me the vast majority of people commenting here are lily white, live in safe neighborhoods, and never wander near inner cities. They have no idea what it’s like. We need to deal w/ the climate we expect big city cops to work in daily. We need to have deployment policies like the military.
These guys are no more fake than the “real” police. They are both frauds IMHO….no one can legitimately have special powers.
This may be the best story I’ve ever read. Please keep giving.
Cops should be required to have a four-year college degree. That four years builds civility, enhances stress-management, and gives one a sense of investment, the loss of which tempers unjustifiable behavior. Theirs is one of the most difficult jobs out there, requiring split-second decision-making which can change one’s life permanently if the cop’s judgment isn’t appropriate.
Chinggis’ ancestors have better police force than this: Fraternal Order of Yak. Chinggis sworn to secrecy about who is in Order of Yak today. But good place to look for hidden treasure is Yakima, Washington.
Kamala Harris, a real fav of Obama, is screaming this morning. Obama paid some special attention to Kamala, like he did to the Denmark PM @ the Mandela funeral, and Michelle got her hackles up.
Beldar
Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bit, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun’
The furious Bandersnatch!
And things that go bump any time of day.
There are a lot of bogus people and bogus organizations in this country. Beware of any person who calls himself a Knight. Watch out for them at night.
Mujohn@aol.com
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
From:”JONATHAN TURLEY” Date:Thu, 7 May, 2015 at 6:22 Subject:[New post] Thin Blue Line: Three Arrested For Allegedly Creating False Police Organization With Ties To The Templar Knights
jonathanturley posted: “There is an interesting case developing in California where police have arrested three people, including Brandon Kiel, 31 (left), an aide to California Attorney General (and Senate candidate) Kamala Harris. Kiel and Tonette Hayes, 56, and David Henry, 46”
The Knights Templar were one of the first global corporations that turned a private security system into a tourist system, transportation system, and perhaps the world’s first banking system.
They started under the premise of protecting pilgrims on their way to the ‘Holy Land’. Then they charged money for this and liaised with the Venetians in the boat trip business. The took part in some of the greatest raids for plunder, the one to Alexandria bringing back literally tons of swag.
When a Knight, Lord, or some other noble needed to move a few thousand men and pilgrims to the Holy Land they found it easier to deposit wealth in Templar banks in Europe and carry a letter of credit to Constantinople or other cities along the way where Templars had banks and wealth from other nobles. They would then cash in the letter of credit and avoid having to transport wagons of wealth to pay their way, ransoms, etc.
Over time lots of nobles died in the Holy Land and left their wealth with the Templars. The Templars started to become a third force along with the church and the nobility. Not just any one could join and almost every noble and lots of members of the church owed them money.
What really pissed off Phillip was that although he owed the Templars tons of money, they would not let him join the club. The Pope saw this as an opportunity to take out the Templars as they were becoming a rival, being both super religious and super tough. They were the whole deal: Military force, connection to god and the Holy Land, and had tons of swag.
Sixteen ships were marshaled in the port of La Rochelle to take the contents of the Paris and other banks to ‘safety’. They either sailed South to Portugal where the king was one of the only ones not trying to wipe them out. Many did and became Knights of St. John, (I think-look it up). Or they went North to Scotland where the Scots were not getting along with Rome or Phillip.
They are then said to be connected to Robert the Bruce, the Masons, and might even have taken the treasure across to North America and buried it in the famous ‘Money Pit’ on Oak Island in the bay next to Lunenburg Nova Scotia.
Without the swag there would have been no crusades. Without swag there would be no organized religion, certainly no catholics. The crusades were a master stroke to get rid of lots of nobles from Europe. They were growing stronger and the church had always had to keep them in check. The nobles, for the most part, were connected to divine right through the church and superstition. They really could not resist the chance of ticking off god and the people and the opportunity for adventure and swag. Good argument, plus swag, equals colonialism.
It’s all there somewhere.
What is law enforcement paraphernalia?
Oh why not; after all, we have a pretend constitutional republic. Are this nation’s elected representatives the only people allowed to pretend they are supporting and defending our natural rights?
Sounds nutty. What, now everyone with an authoritarian personality can wear a badge and say they are a cop? That’s nutty too.
I don’t see how they were impersonating a police officer if they were not pretending to be officers that they were not. So what if their organization or religion identifies them as a police organization. Is there something illegal with that? Don’t citizens have the right to form militias? I hope some lawyers can comment intelligently on this article. It sounds like a case of jealous police chiefs afraid somebody might show them up. I don’t see how their charges can stick.
david – I don’t think there is anything Constitutionally that stops you from forming your own militia. Historically, many militias were formed by a single person who paid for all the uniforms, guns, etc. Others were formed by communities, both official and unofficial.
I can hardly wait to hear the news conference from the California AG.
They have never found the treasure of the Knights Templar, so there is no reason to not restart the organization. The job of escorting pilgrims to the Holy Land is open again, so why not. Or maybe they are escorting drugs.
Darren… A rabbit!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnOdAT6H94s
🙂
Well, nothing a knight in jail won’t cure.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
The 3,000 year claim is nonsensical. The Knights Templar started up after Crusades after 1100 A.D., not 1100 B.C. That’s a 2,200 year difference!!
Are the reporters so ignorant of Medieval history that they accepted a bogus claim that’s off by 2,200 years?