They improvise and evolve to stay one step ahead of unsuspecting donors. As our conversation continued, the caller would lower the amount of funding he was requesting. You May Like: Do You Need A Degree To Become A Police Officer. Law Enforcement for a Safer America has raked in nearly $10 million in donations from January 2019 to June 2020 . Here are a few ideas to help you give safely: Con artists refer to what they do as a hustle. According to the complaint, DPSF conned people into donating more than $9.9 million. After I rejected he offered some booster donations of 15,25, 35 dollars to Goodwill or other organizations. Is The National Police Support Fund Legitimate All Rights Reserved. I told him that I had some questions for him before I would donate. Founded in 1978, NAPO is the strongest unified . Individual officers can also become members, according to its website. National Police Association Inc. has earned a 60% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. National Association of Police Organizations :: Home - NAPO She said she was told the group was a charity benefiting police and troopers. 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. 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. Privacy Policy. Why does this matter? At least seven local police departments from around the country and a state attorney general have issued scam alerts and other notices about these fundraising efforts, warning residents in their communities as recently as this summer that they have no affiliation with this group. BBB Advises Potential Donors to be Cautious If Solicited by the Operators who are so susprised it's scam. Investigation: Is National Police Support Fund actually a massive scam He instead provided me with their national number. Fundraising calls are allowed even if your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. Being a generous person, she agreed to mail them $50. It only means they do not seek to make a profit on their activities. I came across ScamPulse.com warning people about donating to the NPSF . Learn about the latest anti-police movement, Download our 2022 police ballot measures analysis, Download our 2022 law enforcement support guide, Virginia Election Ad by National Police Support Fund, Pro-Police Organizations Worked Together to Get Out the Vote & Boosts Conservative Turnout in NoVa, https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com/terms-of-service/. Phone Calls for Donations to the Police Could be a Scam - AARP The vast majority of donations since 2019 were under $200, meaning the funds came from tens of thousands of donors. Nonprofit however does not mean they are a charity. 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. In this case, the pitch was for money for helping police officers in the continuing war against cops.. generic photos, there is no real content validating that they do anything to actually support the police. This policy has been repudiated by a significant number of law enforcement leaders, whose experience has led them to conclude that it would make their communities unsafe. But whats the truth. The National Police Support Fund is a national coalition committed to promoting the interests of America's. Please do your homework and avoid scams and misleading appeals for your hard-earned money.. Pro-Police Organization Isn't a Legit Charity, BBB Warns This comes at a time when some community activists have been calling for "defunding" the police. 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. 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. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription toAARP The Magazine. Kids Wish Network, however, spends only 3 cents of every dollar collected on kids. In the first half of 2021, this organization reported donations of $4.3 million; expenditures were just under $4.2 million, the bulk of this going to overhead fundraising, lawyers, lead lists and so on. In researching the organizations, I discovered numerous similar-sounding names for PACs raising funds for police officers. The latter is the name of the PAC I found earlier that had raised $3.2 million in contributions. 50 Worst Charities in America: How to Keep From Getting Scammed If it is a scam they are awfully convincing on the phone but are also rather forceful. Phone Calls for Donations to the Police Could be a Scam A warning tonight about calls targeting people around the Tri-State asking them to help support the police. again. And soon, you say, sure, why not? Three calls to his Virginia office for comment have gone unanswered as well as an email sent directly to his address listed in his filings with California. Your email address will not be published. The I.U.P.A. Around 200 consumer complaints have also been made to state and federal regulators about the super PAC, its aliases and related groups. 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. 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. In the first half of 2021, this organization reported donations of $4.3 million; expenditures were just under $4.2 million, the bulk of this going to overhead fundraising, lawyers, lead lists and so on. That means of a $35 donation, no more than $3.50 goes to their stated cause. Gotten calls like this? Enter address: This website, like most media sites, uses small files called cookies to anonymously customize the advertising that you see. With the generous support of readers like you, Times of San Diego publishes timely and accurate news coverage for a better-informed community. Our Police, Firefighters, and all First Responders do need our support. What should we investigate next? 7:35 AM EDT, Fri October 16, 2020. For more information, please see our Concerns of Police Survivors. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 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. PPF has been sued by regulatory agencies in at least six states, including California, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri, and was fined $463,000. And some are outright scams. 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. 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. On each call, my questions about how donations got spent mostly went unanswered. Verify: Law enforcement charity phone calls - KSDK Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Bass, who set up several other super PACs, declined to comment. appreciated. Donating to help police or other first responders It said callers were soliciting support for police officers but that the group was actually connected to a political action committee. It appears their lack of transparency regarding where the money goes was the reason for the BBB caution. And the Morton Police Department in Illinois posted on Facebook about calls from a mysterious phone number with a local area code last year. That is equivalent to 2.7 percent of the $2.7 million the organization raised from donors that year, according to its federal tax return. This would allow me a chance to talk to your wife about considering further contributions. But other charities lie about what they do with donations or how much they spend on programs. The first one, the texh . National Police Support Fund is a grassroots political organization that is committed to aligning the interests and needs of police officers with the public's issues and concerns within the national political process. The PTRF/LEORF was created to provide specialized relief when, tragically, a law enforcement officer is killed in the line-of-duty or seriously injured in . Now those same anarchists that rioted and assaulted law enforcement officers are using the Taliban playbook by destroying public statues and monuments while advocating for defunding law enforcement agencies, a narrator states in a video from July, as protests continued across the country. The charitys programs focus primarily on education, mentorship, and athletic activities that empower youth. Don't Waste Your Money" is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. ("Scripps"). Department of Employment and Labour On 10/29/20 a man called to get pledges for national police support fund. 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/. Virginia incorporation papers show James Fotis is president of the Alliance and changed the name to the Defense Coalition. With everything that's happening this pandemic year, people are getting more and more calls to support their local police. 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. This was up from roughly $1 million raised by the group, which was founded in June 2018, in the last six months of the prior election cycle. The National Police Association files amicus brief opposing Oregon's attempt to criminalize law abiding gun owners. Law Enforcement for a Safer America does not disclose on its website who is running the super PAC, but public filings reveal that leaders of one of the countrys largest police unions are pulling the strings. Multiple voices could be heard in the background. Three other IUPA executives earned more than $100,000 apiece during fiscal 2017-2018. 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). The group's videos have received few views, but money has been pouring in. Published proudly complies with state regulations and required disclosures. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. We are just passing along the information if you get a suspicious call asking for money for police officers.. 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. 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. Whoops! The Police Unity Tour was founded in 1997 by Patrick Montuore, a police officer from New Jersey. Charities face relatively rigorous review from the Internal Revenue Service, and most states require them to register before they can operate there. We strive to engage the public through political grassroots activity to support political interests that promote officer's interests. . And that is likely the point. Just as you sit down to dinner, the phone rings and the caller asks for a donation. Most of the money raised went to telemarketing 87 percent and other expenses. proudly complies with state regulations and required disclosures. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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! Money donated to this group might be used for political purposes and will not be used for direct help to police or troopers, Fox wrote. The IRS has pretty broad rules for being a nonprofit organization.