In year 2025, at least one North Dakota Licensed Private Security Agency offered on-site physical Security to both the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation and the General Contractor JE Dunn Construction several times during construction. The answer each time by both parties was, “It’s not in our Budget.”

The Grand Opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library was scheduled for July 4, 2026. Several months prior to this Grand Opening, at least two North Dakota Licensed Private Security Agencies were in contact with the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation offering Security Services. One of these North Dakota Licensed Private Security Agencies, the owner had about 30 years of experience in Security and Investigations, he and his wife were both North Dakota Licensed Private Investigators, he was a North Dakota Certified Firearms Instructor, North Dakota Certified Security Trainer, and Certified Forensic Accountant. He received NO RESPONSE.

By late May of 2026, I could tell that the President of the United States would be in attendance at the Grand Opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, mainly because of the advance preparations. In my opinion, the biggest threats to the President would be long-range weapons within 1-2 miles of the Presidential Library from the badlands surrounding the Butte, and derailment of a Locomotive & Railcars which would block the only entrance and exit off the Butte. During this time I saw several public announcements about the closure of wilderness areas surrounding the Butte, and one minor report of “Train Derailment” emergency training for First Responders in central/west North Dakota.

In June of 2026, I was becoming very angry and upset about who the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library was hiring for its key positions. 32 of the 50 key personnel were not living in North Dakota when hired, they were living in places such as New York City, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Colorado, and Arizona. I could not understand the reasoning or purpose of hiring accounting, marketing, business, IT, and security personnel from so far away when people in North Dakota have these degrees, experience, and skills. To this day, I still do not know why, what was behind, what was the thinking, who was responsible for choosing these people in NY, DC, PA, GA, FL, TX, CO, and AZ over people already living here in North Dakota.

But most of all, I was angry about who the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library hired to be their “Director Of Protective Services”, a petite attractive young woman from Florida with neither Military nor extensive Law Enforcement background. In my opinion, her qualifications were not great, she was hired for Marketing purposes, and I suspect other ulterior motives.

Fortuneately, the State Of North Dakota stepped-in with the activation of approximately 50 National Guard Soldiers, followed by about as many Sheriff Deputies from central/west North Dakota to handle Security for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Grand Opening Ceremonies over the July 4th weekend. Also, the United States Secret Service did a large amount of on-site planning and Security for two weeks prior to the arrival of the President.

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Libary “Director Of Protective Services” is gone now, and they are currently seeking a new Director and also new Security personnel. But the TRPL is continuing to go about hiring Security personnel the wrong way, in an uninformed and almost oblivious manner. (Again, I still do not know know who, what, why is behind the hiring of people from far away versus North Dakota residents.) For their Director Of Protective Services, the TRPL’s main requirement is having both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Criminal Justice, which in reality is not that important, which I am about to explain.

In North Dakota, there are two Chapters of North Dakota Law a.k.a. “Century Code” that govern Private Security in North Dakota and establish the North Dakota Private Investigation And Security Board that regulates Private Security in North Dakota. Most residents and companies in North Dakota try to follow North Dakota Law, they even go so far as to learn what the Laws are in North Dakota. I will give two examples, the Marathon Petroleum Refineries and the Prairie Knights Casino & Resort.

Due to the desire to have the highest level of professional Private Security in North Dakota and to be in compliance with ALL the Laws of North Dakota, the Marathon Petroleum Refineries and the Prairie Knights Casino & Resort have their own North Dakota Private Investigation Security Board Licensed Security Provider. This NDPISB Licensed Security Provider has met or exceeded ALL of the required duty-hours and classroom-training-hours to progress from Apprentice Officer, to Officer, to Commissioned Officer, or has provided proof of equivalency in the US Military or US Law Enforcement, and has passed the NDPISB Exam which demonstrates their knowledge of ALL North Dakota Laws pertaining to Private Security.

Once the Marathon Petroleum Refineries and the Prairie Knights Casino & Resort have their own NDPISB Licensed Security Provider, that Licensed Security Provider can then Register new Security Officers at the Apprentice Level, supervise their duty-hours and classroom-hours to advance them to Registered Security Officer Level, with more duty-hours, classroom-hours, training, and testing, they can become Registered Armed Guards.

To my knowledge, and I do have a NDPISB Agency and Provider License, the ONLY Legal way that a company in North Dakota can have an Armed Security Officer, is that Armed Security Officer must have a current Peace Officer License (which prohibits them from having a NDPISB License or Registration, and they may perform Off-Duty Security from an ND Law Enforcement Agency), or they must have a NDPISB Security Provider License themselves, or NDPISB Armed Security Officer Registration under a NDPISB Security Provider.

To summarize, if a company operating in North Dakota wishes to have professional Private Security, to be in compliance with ALL of the rules, regulations, and Laws of North Dakota, or if that company ever intends to have Armed Security Officers, they must have a North Dakota Private Investigation And Security Board Licensed Security Provider. North Dakota Century Code states that a person can not perform Armed Security without having NDPISB Registration as an Armed Security Officer.

There are many people in North Dakota who have enough US Military or US Law Enforcement experience to meet the equivalency requiremts of Duty-Hours and Classroom-Hours to be at what is called the Commissioned Officer Status that would allow them to take the NDPISB Exam to become a NDPISB Licensed Security Provider, and serve as the NDPISB License Holder for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.