An NBC 5 investigation has discovered that the former leader of the far-right Oath Keepers, Richard Mack, has been able to attract law enforcement officers from over 80 agencies in Texas to attend his training sessions. Mack, who is a retired Arizona sheriff and a former board member of the Oath Keepers, has founded the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) and teaches local law enforcement officers that they have more power than the FBI and even the president, according to NBC 5. Mack maintains that the U.S. Constitution gives local law enforcement the authority to block federal officials and to personally determine the constitutionality of laws.
Legal experts interviewed by NBC 5 have stated that Mack's interpretations of the Constitution are false and dangerous and could put legitimate federal authorities at risk. Mack's training sessions in Texas have received continuing education credit from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), but after NBC 5 obtained some of Mack's course materials and questioned TCOLE about them, the agency announced it would conduct an investigation into the content and also review its procedures for accrediting law enforcement training.
It is not clear when the investigation will be completed. Brian Levin, the head of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, has stated that the CSPOA's message is similar to the anti-government message preached by the Oath Keepers and its founder, Stewart Rhodes, who was convicted for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. NBC 5 says Mack has claimed that he left the Oath Keepers years before the attack due to disagreements with Rhodes over the group's evolution into a militia. He maintains that the CSPOA is simply encouraging law enforcement to uphold their constitutional oath, which he believes requires them to resist federal law enforcement actions they perceive as tyrannical.
NBC 5 reports that Mack's training sessions have received continuing education credit from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), which certifies Texas law enforcement officers. However, after NBC 5 obtained some of Mack's course materials and questioned TCOLE about them, the agency announced it would conduct an investigation into the content and also review its procedures for accrediting law enforcement trainings. It is not clear when the investigation will be completed.
More than 20% of the state's elected county sheriffs have attended a CSPOA training according to NBC 5 from both TCOLE and the county sheriff's departments that hosted CSPOA trainings. Brian Levin, the head of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, believes that the CSPOA's message is similar to the anti-government message preached by the Oath Keepers and its founder, Stewart Rhodes, who was convicted for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Levin has stated that "we can't have extremists who are misstating the law for their own purposes get in and poison trainings for law enforcement. This is a national security issue."
Mack has claimed that he left the Oath Keepers years before the attack due to disagreements with Rhodes over the group's evolution into a militia. He maintains that the CSPOA is simply encouraging law enforcement to uphold their constitutional oath, which he believes requires them to resist federal law enforcement actions they perceive as tyrannical. In an interview with NBC 5, Mack stated that "the FBI doesn't have any credibility left, don't blame that on us. Their lack of credibility is their own fault, not ours. We're trying to protect the people from all enemies, both foreign and domestic."
The NBC 5 streaming series "Against All Enemies" includes an interview with Jason Van Tatenhove, the former Oath Keepers national media director who left the group years ago after becoming concerned about its direction. Van Tatenhove, who has testified about the Oath Keepers in the House Committee to Investigate the Attack on the U.S. Capitol, believes that the CSPOA is quietly normalizing an anti-government message among law enforcement.
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