The source of the funding information was OpenSecrets, a database that tracks spending in U.S. politics run by the Center for Responsive Politics. Andy Cottam is among the many who received the call. If your phone rings, it's not us. Sadly, it comes down to their choice of words during a pitch; its unlawful to misrepresent how the money will be spent. I recently took about a dozen of these police-support calls to hear the pitches. The charitys affiliation with the government. AARP Membership LIMITED TIME FLASH SALE. He said he wanted a contribution for the police department and man and women who are fighting to protect us. 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. Many charities that help first responders like police officers and firefighters veterans, and active duty military, or their families, pay fundraisers to call donors or potential donors. Recommended Reading: How Many Hours To Become A Police Officer, Read Also: What Education Do I Need To Be A Police Officer. The charitys programs focus primarily on education, mentorship, and athletic activities that empower youth. Donations have surged to a 'scam' political group that claims - CNN So, the next time you get this call, hang up. Below are our favorite charities for law enforcement: National Police Foundation. A charity is only one type of nonprofit. That means of a $35 donation, no more than $3.50 goes to their stated cause, highest-volume phone messages in most major U.S. markets. It wasnt the usual automated call, and hearing a human voice kept me on the line. And cops are facing increasing disrespect on the streets as criminals have become emboldened by the wave of anti-cop rhetoric in the news media and by many politicians. This section is used to influence public opinion in support of the interests of . 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Virginia Police Fund Also worth noting is that while his organization is based in Virginia, and gets its mail in Stafford, TX, Fotis lives in Lake Worth, FL. 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. Many donors say they believed they were supporting a charity that helps local officers. But then she started to worry, especially when she couldn't find the group listed as a charity anywhere online. So have we all. That means of a $35 donation, no more than $3.50 goes to their stated cause. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much He said his father served in the Navy for nearly two decades and was always proud of his service. The result: a rise in super PACs that use sympathetic-sounding causes primarily to line their own pockets (the FEC has called this subset scam PACs). To promote the prevention of juvenile crime and violence by building relationships among kids, cops and community through positive engagement. again. Can the police officers count on you?. proudly complies with state regulations and required disclosures. Videos on Law Enforcement for a Safer America's website show cities in flames and say that officers have been injured during what the group describes as riots. "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. Contributions made to National Police Support Fund are not tax-deductible. According to the complaint, DPSF conned people into donating more than $9.9 million. Oh, god, she said upon being contacted by CNN and learning how the money was spent, Im supposed to be smart, but boy was I a dope.. I asked him where the money goes. Our officers deserve our respect and support, the Super PACs website reads. Just change the state to your state and verify the charity is listed with your state attorney general's office, or another regulatory office (each state has different requirements). The organization also has a Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar. The answer is that, in many cases, these arent charities at all. FEC regulations state that political committees can only deposit a contribution into their account if that money came from a solicitation which expressly states that the contribution will be used in connection with a Federal election or the solicitation discloses that contributions are subject to federal election law. and our The I.U.P.A. Scam Alert: Don't Fall for Phony Firefighter Fundraisers - AARP I looked up one called Law Enforcement for a Safer America PAC, which seemed to be especially active, based on Nomorobos monitoring. Legitimate charities can be checked on websites such as www.guidestar.org. Ask if the donation is tax-deductible. Help us grow with a monthly contribution. The scenario is all too familiar. You May Like: Do You Need A Degree To Become A Police Officer. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items. National Association of Police Athletics/Activities League. Our Police, Firefighters, and all First Responders do need our support. The National Police Support Fund. Police association scam calls: Don't fall for it, says Bob Ziegelbauer Beware: That Call for Police Donations May Be from a Political Action 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. . In telemarketing calls, DPSF fundraisers told people that donations would be used for grants to disabled officers and to the families of officers slain in the line of duty. Wow! The robot voice saying the call would be recorded for record purposes sounded so real but it was just him. Also Check: Do You Have To Pay For A Police Report. I told him that I had some questions for him before I would donate. Our movement is comprised of tens of thousands of Americans from all walks of life who are joined together by their common respect for the rule of law and united in their support for the police officers who put their lives on the line every day in their communities. The result: a rise in super PACs that use sympathetic-sounding causes primarily to line their own pockets (the FEC has called this subset scam PACs). I asked him if the organization supports Donald Trump. Join AARP for just $9 per yearwhen you sign up for a 5-year term. 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. These charities usually rake in a few thousand dollars and disappear. A secretive political group has been pulling in millions of dollars in recent months amid a growing Blue Lives Matter movement, with a cadre of telemarketers urgently telling Americans that now is the time to support the police and keep them safe. Concerns of Police Survivors. The I.U.P.A. With everything that's happening this pandemic year, people are getting more and more calls to support their local police. At times, I thought they were maybe misguided, he said. Now, the last thing I want to do is discourage you from giving to causes you care about, like supporting police. The safest way to donate on social media or crowdfunding campaign is to give to people you actually know. He said that although it is more expensive for super PACs to solicit small donations which is what this one is doing spending so much on operations and so little on political activities is unusual. Write the names of the shady businesses in the comments section below, too. We'll send you the top local news stories every morning at 8 a.m. By clicking subscribe, you agree to share your email address with Times of San Diego to receive our free newsletter and breaking news alerts. The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. You read that correctly. 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.. 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. She remembers news stories two years ago, about 67-year-old Jerry Hinkle, a Cincinnati man who raised thousands of dollars for the Shop with a Cop program, then admitted in court that he spent it on personal expenses (the case ended with a plea agreement). Also Check: How To File A Police Report For Id Theft, You May Like: How Do Police Deal With Homeless. 9 Best Charities for Law Enforcement in the US (Complete 2023 List) How much do I need to save for retirement? As the list of high-profile police shootings has grown in recent years and calls to defund the police have gotten louder, tensions between protesters and those who have rushed to the support of police some of whom have become part of a Blue Lives Matter movement have been building. These are Americas heroes. Videos on its site show cities in flames and say that officers have been injured during what the group describes as riots presumably referring to recent Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. Don't Waste Your Money" is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. ("Scripps"). There have been calls circulating from a Police Officers Support Association asking for credit card donations. January 11, 2019. The latter is the name of the PAC I found earlier that had raised $3.2 million in contributions. The union has previously come under fire for hiring allegedly deceptive telemarketers and costly fundraising efforts that benefited its own organization and a police charity it operates. See the metrics below for more information. The filings dont show how much the groups officials are directly benefiting from the political committee it created, and it is unclear why the group deemed it necessary to create so many different aliases to use for soliciting donations. NEWS ALERT: House votes to kill Biden's 'woke' rule: 'Phony movement' Being a generous person, she agreed to mail them $50. I told him that there is no such thing as a National Police Trust Fund. We support police officers who risk their lives daily protecting our communities. The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. "My brother was a police officer, my cousin was a cop and one of my sons is a cop," she said. The BBB said days later, the New Jersey State Police photo had been removed from the site. 4 talking about this. 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. But these telemarketers bombarding our phone lines? Read Also: What Are The Best Police Boots, Read Also: How Do I Become A K9 Police Officer. Wow! What they do: The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League aims to minimize juvenile crime through outreach programs that pair officers with youth. Ask for information, check sites like Charitynavigator.org and then if it all checks out, write that check. Spokane-area residents question calls from national police - KREM Charity Navigator - Rating for National Police Defense Foundation Asking for donations to the National Police Support Fund. I recently took about a dozen of these police-support calls to hear the pitches. Privacy Policy. 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. Whoops! Can the police officers count on you?. This Florida-based union touts its federal lobbying efforts on behalf of local members. Also in Massachusetts, a Wilmington police officer received a call soliciting donations. It said callers were soliciting support for police officers but that the group was actually connected to a political action committee. Here is the BBB caution: https://www.bbb.org/stlouis/news-events/bbb-warnings/2017/national-police-support-fund/, https://www.bbb.org/stlouis/news-events/bbb-warnings/2017/national-police-support-fund/. he transferred me to check my address. What they do: ThePolice Unity Tour raises funds and awareness for members of law enforcement who lost their lives during their service. With tales of woe and heartbreaking images of children or helpless animals, they beg for assistance. (Santa Rosa, Calf.) 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 . Read Also: How Do You Know If The Police Are Investigating You. Here are some things you can do to avoid donating to a fake charity: Pay attention to the charity's name. The Greenfield, Massachusetts, police department warned about the group last year as well. Email Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken. Beware scams posing as Law Enforcement fundraisers! National Police Association (@NatPoliceAssoc) / Twitter This includes marketing and outreach to supporters and communities, grassroots political efforts, and digital marketing efforts. How to report a scammer? ThePAC, organized by Zachary Bass, spent 90% of its take on fundraising, campaign filings show. Woman calls out scammer after hearing about it on the news I did satisfy my rather small donation at their website https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com . 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! National Police and Troopers Association - NPTA - Yelp Learn more about how we use cookies in our cookie policy. I received a phone call asking me to donate to National Police Support Fund I was going to give them my debit card number over the phone but changed my mind at the last moment. They are the tragi-charities. Why does this matter? Virginia incorporation papers show James Fotis is president of the Alliance and changed the name to the Defense Coalition. The first one, the texh . Fundraising calls are allowed even if your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. Multiple voices could be heard in the background. Sara Kemerer of the . AiThority Interview with Lori Anne, Director of Product Development & Management at Verizon, Branded Caller ID: The Pros And Cons In The Battle Against Phone Scams, A New Scam Is Making the Rounds Just in Time for Tax Season, Smishing: The new year is here and so are new scams. But none of the money being raised actually goes to police departments, according to government records. Instead, their contributions end up with a super PAC, Law Enforcement for a Safer America, which has ties to a controversial union and spends the majority of its money on its own operating costs. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox posted on Facebook last year about a call he received from Roy on behalf of the National Coalition for Police and Troopers. Do police call for donations? - JacAnswers The Committee for Police Officers Defense, the telemarketers who called me, applied for tax exemption in California. Bass, who set up several other super PACs, declined to comment. The website soliciting funds for Arpaio says, Liberals have targeted Sheriff Joe Arpaio with a multi-million dollar lawsuit (that could even result in jail time) because he was upholding the law of the land.. 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. I quickly identified over 70 super PACs with police or law enforcement in their names. One of Fotis websites solicits money for individuals who were guilty of a crime for doing their job the way they were trained to do it. As an example, he cites former Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona. When a charitys fundraiser calls to ask you for a donation, they have to follow some rules: A: We engage in activities aimed at supporting our law enforcement officers and standing up for their rights and values throughout the political process. The application also included the name Police Officers Defense Coalition, as well as the Police Officers Defense Alliance. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. But whats the truth. It appears there are a number of nonprofits up and running under the apparent control of Fotis. 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. A: The National Police Support Fund is a grassroots nonprofit political organization founded in 2017 under Section 527 of the IRS tax code. Hispanic Federation (New York City) Abandoned Children's Fund. 2023 Cable News Network. Please note that many legitimate local (and unaffiliated) police foundations and organizations may solicit donations from local communities via telephone and mail. In researching the organizations, I discovered numerous similar-sounding names for PACs raising funds for police officers. Recommended Reading: How To Become A Desk Police Officer, Also Check: Can Police Help Me Unlock My Car. This would allow me a chance to talk to your wife about considering further contributions. But whats the truth. The Police and Troopers Relief Foundation (PTRF) is a special program within the Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund (LEORF), established by the International Union of Police Associations. It was raising money using four different police-oriented names (one association, two coalitions and one support fund). And some are outright scams. They improvise and evolve to stay one step ahead of unsuspecting donors. Post has been removed or is no longer public. National Association of Police Organizations :: Home - NAPO Did you encounter any technical issues? The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. In fact, former employees of these types of fundraisers have testified about how they used soundboard technology to play prerecorded messages as responses, in part so they could talk to several donors at once. Around 200 consumer complaints have also been made to state and federal regulators about the super PAC, its aliases and related groups. Here are the Top 7 Amazon scam calls. In two words, its not. Fake joke to start out. ', Fleeing Suspect Arrested on Trolley After Man Stabbed Multiple Times Downtown, San Diego Neo-Nazi Robert Wilson Suspected in Anne Frank House Incident, Sierra Snowpack Grows to Nearly Double Normal, Easing California Drought, Theatre Week Becomes Theatre Month Enjoy Deals As Low As $15 All Through March, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Across the industry, calls are computer-generated before being routed to telemarketers, something Politicause and TPFE employees said allowed their firms to maximize the number of calls and to pester people repeatedly. 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. The organization began as a service program providing mentorship and outreach activities to youth as a way to combat juvenile crime. Groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter have inspired people to assassinate cops on the street. 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 . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. If you get one of these calls, do not donate money just hang . He could not answer. In fact, as Ive previously , supporting law enforcement and supporting reform movements such as Black Lives Matter are not mutually exclusive. This comes at a time when some community activists have been calling for "defunding" the police. And it's very easy to catch the eye of someone.". The calls, which often target elderly donors, come from a variety of generic and similar-sounding aliases: The Police Officers Support Association, the National Emergency Responders Coalition and the National Coalition for Police & Troopers. I said I do not donate over the phone, he said I did not need to they would mail me a pledge kit. The Committee for Police Officers Defense, the telemarketers who called me, applied for tax exemption in California. KENNER, LA (WVUE) - The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office warns of a scam from the "American Police Officers Alliance" asking for donations for law enforcement. . Three other IUPA executives earned more than $100,000 apiece during fiscal 2017-2018. He of course provided a non-reassuring answer with no defence when the jig was up, and ended the call. On its donate page, the NPA boasts of its work to preserve the American way of life and fight back against cop-haters. Have a problem?Send me an email, at jmatarese@wcpo.com or message me on Facebook. The scripts were designed to give the impression that they were helping out officers versus lobbying efforts, he said, adding that the political affiliation was only fully disclosed when someone proactively asked where the money would be going. Our mission is to promote the interests of our nation's police officers within our nation's political and public policy process. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. National Police Support Fund It was raising money using four different police-oriented names (one "association," two "coalitions" and one "support fund"). In the report, National Police Support Fund reported about $61,000 in . People are receiving phone scam calls asking for donations to help out local police departments or slain and wounded police offers. Marine Toys for Tots Foundation (Triangle, Va.) Committee for Missing Children (Lawrenceville, Ga.) Prevent Child .
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