The 'Masonic Fraternal Police Department' is not a real police department, police say

[Kamala Harris Election PAC]

Law enforcement officials were surprised, confused and just a
little suspicious when the “Masonic Fraternal Police Department”
began sending letters to several Southern California police
chiefs in late January to introduce the its own new chief, David
Henry.

For one thing, authorities had never heard of the Masonic
Fraternal Police Department, which claims to be a 3,000-year-old
law enforcement group descended from the Knights Templar.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department concluded after an
investigation that the Masonic Fraternal Police Department is
not a real police department, and three of its members —
including Henry, the “chief” — were arrested on suspicion of
impersonating police officers.

Henry, Tonette Hayes, and Brandon Kiel were arrested last week
after the real police found “badges, identification cards,
weapons, uniforms, police type vehicles and other law
enforcement equipment” during a search of two locations linked
to the organization, according to the Los Angeles County
Sheriff’s Department.

Kiel is an aide to California Attorney General Kamala Harris,
working as a deputy director of community affairs at the
California Department of Justice, according to the Los Angeles
Times. California DOJ Press Secretary Kristin Ford said in an
emailed statement to The Washington Post that the department
can’t comment on an “ongoing personnel matter or criminal
investigation.” However, Ford confirmed that Kiel is on
administrative leave.

Kiel apparently held a similar title for the Masonic Fraternal
Police Department: “Chief deputy director,” which is how he
identified himself to law-enforcement authorities when he called
them earlier this year — following up on the letters — to
request meetings with several local police chiefs. Capt.
Roosevelt Johnson of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station
met with Henry and grew suspicious of his group “when they could
not answer basic questions about MFPD’s jurisdiction and overall
department mission,” police said.

Henry, Hayes and Kiel were arrested Thursday on suspicion of
perjury, impersonating a police officer and misuse of government
information; they were released on bail that day, according to
the county inmate records.

The Masonic Fraternal Police Department’s Web site — which names
“Chief Henry” as its chief of police — claims jurisdiction in 33
states and Mexico.

“Grand Masters around the various states are facing serious
safety concerns for their Jurisdictions and their family
members,” the Web site says. “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 Web site adds: “We are born into this Organization our
bloodlines go deeper then an application. This is more then a
job it is an obligation.”

The group says that it “provides services” to Masonic Fraternal
Organization Grand Masters and their jurisdictions, and that it
is “located within the incorporated City of Santa Clarita,
California.” Several pages on the Web site (including those
titled “police reports,” “complaints” and “clandestine list”)
appear to be password-protected.

In any case, the act was convincing enough to fool a local
resident, Sherry Elgabalawy, who told CBS Los Angeles that “I
always see them with their uniforms, so I thought they were part
of [a] department.”

“I didn’t know it was a fake one,” she added.

Investigators from multiple police departments involved in the
case say they suspect there may be more individuals involved
with the group.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/05/06/the-
masonic-fraternal-police-department-is-not-a-real-police-
department-police-say/