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The sovereign citizen movement is a rapidly growing movement nationwide and I believe it poses a significant growing threat to local law enforcement.
The FBI classifies sovereign citizens as a domestic terror threat. Many sovereigns believe the current federal government is illegitimate and illegal. There are an estimated 300,000 sovereigns in the U.S., and approximately one third of them described are hardcore members.
Adherents may proclaim that they are not a United States citizen and instead they are sovereign American nationals or a natural physical being. They protest laws and government regulations ranging from speeding tickets, the courts, and any type of taxation. They have an extreme disrespect for the law and many of them believe the government is involved in a conspiracy, secretly holding money that belongs to citizens, and that government deprives them of their 'God given rights.
Sovereigns are increasingly willing to use acts of violence and threats of violence. The FBI has warned that sovereigns are increasingly willing to defend their beliefs by harassing and intimidating law enforcement. There have been incidents in several states that have involved verbal threats towards officers or the identification of a weapon. Here are just a few of the high profile examples of violence involving sovereign citizens:
* Convicted Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols was a sovereign citizen. He claimed "individual sovereignty" in several court cases.
* In May 2010, in West Memphis, Arkansas two police officers were shot and killed by Joseph T. Kane. He and his father were pulled over in a traffic stop. The Kanes were later killed in a shootout with police. They were later identified as members of the sovereign citizen movement.
* In August 2013, two sovereigns were arrested in Las Vegas for allegedly plotting to torture and kill police officers.
The majority of interactions between law enforcement and sovereigns nationwide have been non-violent. At the Hennepin County Sheriffs Office, the deputies who serve civil papers are most likely to encounter these individuals. Most often, deputies have reported that these citizens will ask personal or politicallycharged questions. They may refuse to sign papers and use a fingerprint in lieu of a signature.
Law enforcement officers are increasingly coming across sovereigns during routine encounters. They must be equipped with...