Enbridge is paying Minnesota cops to surveil and police protesters

[Winehole23]

Private companies directly paying police to their bidding is a little too on the nose.

Over the last year, Enbridge has paid over $2 million to Minnesota police to enforce laws targeting protesters against the pipeline. The nature of the financial relationship between Enbridge and Minnesota law enforcement is laid out in the Line 3 construction permit issued by the state public utilities commission, requiring that the company deposit funds into a “Public Safety Escrow Account” managed by a state-selected third-party liaison.


The permit authorizes reimbursements for “maintaining the peace in and around the construction site” and related activities. Police have been reimbursed for activities including training, equipment, and “Line 3 Protest Response.” The funds are not supposed to be used for equipment aside from undefined “personal protective gear,” although according to reporting by the Intercept, police have requested reimbursement for “less-than-lethal” weapons such as batons, tear gas, and flash-bang devices. Without a full public record of the reimbursements, it’s unclear which requests were approved.


While the third-party liaison reviews and approves the reimbursement requests, the functional separation of power between donor and recipient is questionable. Oil and gas companies, including Enbridge, have been instrumental in lobbying for the “critical infrastructure laws” that police use as a basis for arresting protesters at construction sites. Furthermore, local Minnesota law enforcement and Enbridge employees have maintained a close partnership during the construction of the Line 3 pipeline, sharing office space, participating in joint training and meetings, and trading information on protest activities.

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-wo...ine-protesters

[DMC]

Not unique at all

https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/247182.pdf

Public Police. Cir stances in which public
police are paid by private clients for specific
services. In some situations, the officers are
off duty or working overtime for a private
purchaser (as with paid police details). In
other cases, police officers are on duty but
committed to a specific policing operation
paid for at the agency level by a private client
(e.g., policing a major sporting event).

[Winehole23]

Not unique at all

https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/247182.pdf

Public Police. Cir stances in which public
police are paid by private clients for specific
services. In some situations, the officers are
off duty or working overtime for a private
purchaser (as with paid police details). In
other cases, police officers are on duty but
committed to a specific policing operation
paid for at the agency level by a private client
(e.g., policing a major sporting event).

didn't say it was unique. lol instantaneous resort to strawman.

btw, that point was addressed in the article you didn't read.

[SnakeBoy]

It's a shame private companies are having to pay for that

[Winehole23]

It's a shame private companies are having to pay for that

it should be illegal

[DMC]

it should be illegal

Then you'd have to pay the police to enforce it.

[Winehole23]

Then you'd have to pay the police to enforce it.

you're none too swift

[MultiTroll]

False Charge Chunko / DMC getting his ass handed to him. Again.