Police trainers in Oath Keepers

Potential to influence, recruit alarms experts

A leaked list of people who signed up for the anti- government Oath Keepers group includes 65 who identified themselves as law enforcement trainers, an illustration of how extremist ideologies have proliferated in police departments across the USA.

The majority of the 65 trainers claimed to be military veterans, law enforcement officers or both, according to a USA TODAY review of the list, which purportedly provides names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of almost 40,000 members.

“The police officers that are trainers are like the best of the best in their fields,” said Daryl Johnson, a former analyst at the Department of Homeland Security. “You have people who are in these positions of influence. ... The fact that they’re an Oath Keeper and a trainer would carry more weight for recruitment purposes.”