Some telemarketers who claim to be raising money for causes like homeless veterans and cancer victims work for political action committees , not charities, and keep much of the money they raise. Wendy is fine with that and will sleep better now. California resident Kellie Van Westen, 69, said she has family members who are law enforcement officers and that she believed the roughly $1,400 she donated since 2019 would help bolster local police budgets and pay for equipment to keep them safe.. Sara Kemerer of the Cincinnati BBB says you should look them up at the bureau's website, www.bbb.org, or at Charity Navigator.org, or Guidestar.org. The union is run by a retired police detective, and it is affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the countrys biggest federation of unions, which did not respond to requests for comment. highest-volume phone messages in most major U.S. markets, A caregiver discovers questionable charities are targeting her parents for their money, Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term -43% off the standard annual rate, Access exclusive discounts, programs, & services, Double down with a FREE second membership. Founded in 1978, NAPO is the strongest unified . "Being that it was a recording right off the bat . An employee who said he previously worked for two companies that raised money for Law Enforcement for a Safer America said that at his more recent job, callers were instructed not to disclose that they were calling on behalf of a super PAC. National Police Defense Foundation has earned a 81% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. Your email address will not be published. The fund is a real nonprofit organization, but it is a political group created "primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office. This comes at a time when some community activists have been calling for "defunding" the police. It sounded like the solicitor was calling from a boiler room, where individuals dial from a list of working phone numbers. "The words police and words firefighter are not trademarked," Kemerer explained, "so it is very easy for scammers to use those names and create fake organizations. Simple web searches can show that the 'charitable organization' calling either 1 . These callers typically use language that suggests they are charities raising money directly for local police. Terms & conditions/privacy policy apply https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com/terms-of-service/, Contributions to the National Police Support Fund are not tax deductible. He said he ultimately left because he didnt feel like he was supporting the charitable efforts he had hoped to seeing a shift toward fundraising for PACs instead of charities and observing how little of the money went to the causes callers were touting. Learn more about how we use cookies in our cookie policy. by Michelle Diament, April 2008. After I rejected he offered some booster donations of 15,25, 35 dollars to Goodwill or other organizations. Are the money-gathering techniques these scam PACs use illegal? The National Police Support Fund is a legitimate organization that supports the interests of America's law enforcement officers. If you require additional information, then call us 1-800-247-4872 or email us at: [email protected] Your contribution is very much appreciated and although the International Union of Police Association is recognized as a non-profit by the IRS, due to its particular status (501 (c) 5), donations are not tax . Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor specializing in campaign finance and political corruption, said the fact that the super PAC had spent such a huge proportion of its contributions on its own expenses was jaw dropping and that it was equally concerning to hear that fundraisers were going after the elderly who they may consider easy marks.. Being a generous person, she agreed to mail them $50. Our movement is comprised of tens of thousands of Americans from all walks of life who are joined together by their common . Tax records show the Fotis organization that phoned me raised $75,000 in 2021, up from $50,000 the year before. For more information, please refer to the IRS definition of Political Organization. Each organization says it is spending money for police officers being abused and unfairly targeted. I looked up one called Law Enforcement for a Safer America PAC, which seemed to be especially active, based on Nomorobos monitoring. We strive to engage the public through political grassroots activity to support political interests that promote officer's interests. Local organizations that raise money on behalf of San Diego law enforcement include: Star/Pal for San Diego Police, which provides educational and recreational services for inner-city youth, and the San Diego County Deputy Sheriffs Foundation, which provides support services for sheriffs personnel and families. As a wife of a police officer this is absolutely disgusting! she stated. Get a FREE subscription to AARP The Magazine. Super PACs generally have far fewer state-level reporting requirements and are regulated by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which has fewer enforcement options than the IRS. Filed Jan. 29, 2020, 3:45 p.m. GMT. generic photos, there is no real content validating that they do anything to actually support the police. He of course provided a non-reassuring answer with no defence when the jig was up, and ended the call. I asked them to mail me a bill instead and they did , I called the phone number on the letter and did not get a respond so I decided to go to their website . With everything that's happening this pandemic year, people are getting more and more calls to support their local police. What can we learn from the latest Coinbase cyberattack? For more information, please see our UPDATE 2020-10-29: Another new call from 585-206-3552 with a similar pre-recorded voice auto-responder identifying as 'Jeff Scott' with the National Police Support Fund. The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. Recently, the District Attorney's office was made aware of calls from nearby area codes claiming to support local officers injured in the line of duty. Multiple attempted calls from one number. In a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, another woman, whose name was redacted, said she received multiple calls from the National Coalition for Police and Troopers, one of the super PACs various aliases. The robot voice saying the call would be recorded for record purposes sounded so real but it was just him. These callers typically use language that suggests they are charities raising money directly for local police. While several recordings uploaded online show that some callers have briefly mentioned the term PAC or have said that the group is supporting efforts to elect lawmakers to advocate for certain issues, the Montana attorney general wasnt the only person to say the group hadnt identified itself as required. Please do your homework and avoid scams and misleading appeals for your hard-earned money.. These Are the 9 Best Charities for Law Enforcement in 2023. Below are our favorite charities for law enforcement: National Police Foundation. Andy Cottam is among the many who received the call. National Police Support Fund brings together Americans from all walks of life united under the banner of respect and support of our nation's law enforcement officers. I have asked 5 times to be removed from their call list, but they are still constantly calling, at this point it is harassment and it needs to STOP! Several donors said they never would have given money to the group if they knew it would pay for Trump advertisements, including 70-year-old Susan Durie, a self-described bleeding heart liberal Democrat from Los Angeles who donated around $600 and said she felt like a victim of a scam since she thinks she was misled into believing that her donation would go to local police. The man on the other end of the phone is asking for money for the protection of police officers. Gotten calls like this? Email Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken. What should we investigate next? This particular super PACs treasurer is a former cop who was arrested for stealing $50,000 from the police union for which he served as president. So have we all. And the Morton Police Department in Illinois posted on Facebook about calls from a mysterious phone number with a local area code last year. Do You Have To Call The Police After An Accident, How Long Does It Take To Get Into Police Academy, How Many People Were Killed By Police In 2020, Where To File A Police Report For Car Accident. Even if you like the idea, how do you know the call is legitimate? In about 7 years (through March 2018), the union and relief fund spent a total of approximately $102.3 million, of which $82.3 million went towards fundraising. Recommended Reading: How To Become A Desk Police Officer, Also Check: Can Police Help Me Unlock My Car. ThePAC, organized by Zachary Bass, spent 90% of its take on fundraising, campaign filings show. In this case, the pitch was for money for helping police officers in the continuing war against cops.. American Association of State Troopers claims to support retired state troopers. Not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee.Paid for by National Police Support Fund, Inc. |Privacy & Refund Policy| Sitemap, Biggest Issues Facing Police Officers Today. A donation of $10, $15 or $25 would help keep . The charitys programs focus primarily on education, mentorship, and athletic activities that empower youth. Email us: watchdog@cnn.com. Follow John on Instagram @johnmataresemoney, For more consumer news and money saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com. AARP Membership LIMITED TIME FLASH SALE. . The Wilmington Police Department has no association with this organization and we have never even heard of them, stated a May release from the department. Up until the latest tax year when the groups appear to have changed how they categorize certain expenditures the pattern was largely the same from year to year: A small number of families received a couple thousand dollars apiece top employees of the union received more than $100,000 apiece and tens of millions went to telemarketers. This organization spends the vast majority of its donations on children. The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Theres just one week to go before the midterm election. Quoting from its website, the Committee for Police Officers Defense is a 527 Committee designed to seek out radical prosecutors, judges and district attorneys. Another organization is named on the website as well The Police Officers Defense Coalition. But as I learned, these callers are masters at evading any such disclosure. January 11, 2019. About $1.8 million went toward the salaries of union officials, including $199,700 for Cabral, the president. The matter now heads to the Senate, where the disapproval resolution may pass if every Republican plus rebellious Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (W.Va.) support the effort. Continuously redirected to the toll free number provided which cut out each time it was listed. The funds raised during their 4-day long ride are donated directly to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. Here are some things you can do to avoid donating to a fake charity: Pay attention to the charity's name. The mailing scam, which was identified in a CNN article last fall and had already targeted residents in eastern states including Massachusetts and Wisconsin, asks recipients of the letter to donate $20 to an organization misleadingly calling itself the "Police Officers Support Association, PAC" according to Grass Valley Police Sgt. It appears there are a number of nonprofits up and running under the apparent control of Fotis. Law enforcement has a tough enough job without having to put up with charlatans masquerading as heroes. The groups videos have received few views, but money has been pouring in. Can the police officers count on you?. This group purports on various websites that donations are being used to back candidates who will stand up for police and introduce legislation to help officers and provide benefits to families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. Among the other warnings: The Miami Township Police in Ohio issued a scam alert in June referencing calls circulating from a Police Officers Support Association asking for credit card donations. The Reading Police Department in Massachusetts described the Police Officers Support Association as a scam charity last year. Whether the website is from the same sector as nationalpolicesupportfund.com or not, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission. He never would have given money to any group if he knew that some of that money was going to pro-Trump campaign ads, said Busse. Of those who gave more than $200, which are required to be disclosed to the federal government, roughly 80% were retirees, according to an analysis of the data. How a donation will be used, or how much of the donation actually goes to the charitys programs. We warn against them because they come off as supportive of the Greenfield Police Department, or the local police, and yet they do not do anything for us, said police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. These tend to be monies for their own agendas, and not based on the locals. You read that correctly. again. On 12/30/2018, I received a call from (862) 333-2411 from a man with a deep voice and a southern accent, who identified himself as Dan, if I would like to make a donation to the National Police Trust Fund. President Trump pardoned the sheriff even after the Department of Justice described Arpaio as being responsible for the worst case of racial profiling in U.S. history. There have been calls circulating from a Police Officers Support Association asking for credit card donations. If you have been contacted via telephone and asked to make donations to the National Police Foundation in Washington, D.C., this is a scam. Recommended Reading: How Many Hours To Become A Police Officer, Read Also: What Education Do I Need To Be A Police Officer. Soft on Crime groups are targeting record numbers of individual law enforcement officers in law suits for police brutality. The group's videos have received few views, but money has been pouring in. The National Police Support Fund. But the groups file financial disclosures with federal regulators under only a handful of names. 4 talking about this. I later learned the organization is based in Fairfax, VA, and is a political action committee, or PAC. We highly encourage our followers to verify who they are making donations to when contacted for fundraisers.. Our Police, Firefighters, and all First Responders do need our support. Kids Wish Network, however, spends only 3 cents of every dollar collected on kids. In fact, as Ive previously , supporting law enforcement and supporting reform movements such as Black Lives Matter are not mutually exclusive. "So I really want to support the police for what they do.". The websites describe his career in law enforcement and his role as the creator of the police officers safety act legislation carried by former San Diego Congressman Randy Duke Cunningham. 2023 Cable News Network. So I would like to say just beware of scammers , Ive copied the letter I received so in hopes that people will know not to donate unless you are 109% sure it not a scam. Up to June 2020, only 2% of the groups spending went toward political activities mainly for advertisements supporting President Donald Trumps reelection, according to data filed with the FEC. I quickly identified over 70 super PACs with police or law enforcement in their names. Tax filings also show that the union operates its own call center and that a company the union controls purchased a nearly 20,000 square foot office building valued at more than $2.5 million, where the union is now based. As Smarter Giving notes, what is actually supports is the bank balances of its chief executives. Hope Cancer Fund The Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting broke the charities up into five main categories: children, cancer, police/law enforcement, veterans, fire and other. Police Protection Fund. To promote the prevention of juvenile crime and violence by building relationships among kids, cops and community through positive engagement. A union receptionist also confirmed to CNN that the super PAC is run by the union, but union leaders did not respond to repeated calls, voicemails and emails that laid out the concerns from other police departments and donors and asked why so little of the $10 million raised went toward political activities. We don't engage in telemarketing. Clint Bates. We use the funds raised from these activities to support elected officials, candidates, and organizations whose goals and values align with our own. Charities face relatively rigorous review from the Internal Revenue Service, and most states require them to register before they can operate there. Operators who are so susprised it's scam. AARP Membership - LIMITED TIME FLASH SALE. It only means they do not seek to make a profit on their activities. This comes at a time when some community activists have been calling for defunding the police. But whats the truth. The charitys affiliation with the government. proudly complies with state regulations and required disclosures. I recently took about a dozen of these police-support calls to hear the pitches. He could not answer. For example, a very well known and respected group is the Make a Wish Foundation. Entire local police unions, which negotiate collective bargaining agreements for their members, can choose to affiliate with the group. I asked him if the organization supports Donald Trump. To raise awareness of Law Enforcement Officers who have died in the line of duty. . Especially after a tragedy or military-related event, fundraisers and causes show up on social media and people create crowdfunding campaigns to help those affected.