What could possibly go wrong?

They wear camouflaged uniforms, bearing military-style insignia. They ride helicopters over the forests of Mendocino County, Calif., on the state’s north coast, equipped with firearms…

“Law enforcement just doesn’t have the means to take care of it any longer,” Trouette told TPM…

he said that private citizens aren’t restricted by the Fourth Amendment, which covers illegal searches and seizures, in the same way that law enforcement officers are.

“It’s very clear in the penal code that citizens and private persons have an enormous amount of authority under the penal code and also sometimes even more authority where they’re not subject to the Fourth Amendment restrictions,” he continued…

In a phone interview with TPM, Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman seemed a little uncomfortable with having armed contractors operating in his jurisdiction… he described his greatest fear knowing that a firm like Trouette’s is working in the same area as his own officers: “Friendly fire.”