National Police Association (@NatPoliceAssoc) / Twitter Can the police officers count on you?. Multiple voices could be heard in the background. Leaving politics aside for a minute, how do you know if those calls are legitimate? Whether the website is from the same sector as nationalpolicesupportfund.com or not, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Other policies that the NPA promotes include aggressive stop-and-frisk tactics and broken windows policingstrategies that have resulted in unconstitutional practices that undermine civil liberties. . Just want you notified that they are calling on area code 203 #s in CT now. With this in mind, the midterm election saw a new partnership between us, the National Police Support Fund, and the. Stated that donations were not tax-deductible. He said his father served in the Navy for nearly two decades and was always proud of his service. Only one replied directly: 90 percent went to fundraising, and 10 percent went to police support. NEWS ALERT: House votes to kill Biden's 'woke' rule: 'Phony movement' The pop-up charity business is usually local, occasionally regional and rarely national. 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.. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try Whoops! Police charity caution: How to know if it's a scam - WCPO A: The National Police Support Fund is a grassroots nonprofit political organization founded in 2017 under Section 527 of the IRS tax code. You can find more information about "who is the National Police Support . Scam Alert: Don't Fall for Phony Firefighter Fundraisers - AARP 4 talking about this. He instead provided me with their national number. 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 . After further investigation, they are not approved by the better business bureau and they have nothing but horrible reviews . National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Charity Navigator - Rating for National Police Association Inc. For example, a very well known and respected group is the Make a Wish Foundation. The super PAC said on Facebook in September that it had placed this billboard in multiple locations throughout Wisconsin and that more would be coming. How a donation will be used, or how much of the donation actually goes to the charitys programs. The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. A special program within the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO.Speaking With One Voice, Moving With One Purpose. Simple: less scrutiny. Gas station secured small business bailout money, then paid for Trump billboards, After learning from CNN that his 92-year-old father had given $1,200 to the super PAC, Curt Busse said that the donations were made as his fathers cognitive skills declined, making him a prime target for telemarketers. I asked him where the money goes. National Association of Police Athletic/Activities Leagues. I've asked them repeatedly to stop calling this typically results in additional calls back to back from different numbers. If it is a scam they are awfully convincing on the phone but are also rather forceful. The rule of law is being eroded in our communities, and we need true Americans to stand up and join voices in support of the public servants who keep us safe. 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. Contributions are not tax deductible. Free online workshop! The I.U.P.A. California Proposition 25 Defeated, Thanks in Part to Local Efforts Do police call for donations? National Police Association | Educating supporters of law enforcement We are just passing along the information if you get a suspicious call asking for money for police officers.. A warning tonight about calls targeting people around the Tri-State asking them to help support the police. At the end of 2021, robocalls raising money for police groups were thehighest-volume phone messages in most major U.S. markets, according to Nomorobo, a robocall-blocking company that works with AARP on fraud prevention. Here are a few ideas to help you give safely: Con artists refer to what they do as a hustle. All Rights Reserved. I got a call from them saying it was the time of year to start up the donation drive, and the phone operator tries his best to kay in with a guilt trip to get you to "donate." Similarly, the Police Coalition of America, which promises "to enact positive change and legislation that protects our citizens as well as our law enforcement," spent $530,000 on . The application also included the name Police Officers Defense Coalition, as well as the Police Officers Defense Alliance. 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. We support police officers who risk their lives daily protecting our communities. He said he wanted a contribution for the police department and man and women who are fighting to protect us. It was found that only 2.7% of donations to the relief fund actually went to the families of fallen officers. But none of the money being raised actually goes to police departments, according to government records. 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. The Police Unity Tour was founded in 1997 by Patrick Montuore, a police officer from New Jersey. 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. Marine Toys for Tots Foundation (Triangle, Va.) Committee for Missing Children (Lawrenceville, Ga.) Prevent Child . 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). Our officers deserve our respect and support, the Super PACs website reads. We use the funds raised from these activities to support elected officials, candidates, and organizations whose goals and values align with our own. Lots of different special interest groups are nonprofits, including some private businesses that pay their executives quite well. Trump billboards along a desert stretch of highway near the border of California and Arizona were paid for by a small business that received a federal loan. The robot voice saying the call would be recorded for record purposes sounded so real but it was just him. Tax records show the Fotis organization that phoned me raised $75,000 in 2021, up from $50,000 the year before. The tour began with 18 members of law enforcement, who rode from New Jersey to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. Their impact and transparency ratings: The Police Unity Tour holds a Financial rating of 84 out of 100 from Charity Navigator. Founded in 1978, NAPO is the strongest unified . Below are our favorite charities for law enforcement: National Police Foundation. . The answer is that, in many cases, these arent charities at all. The Better Business Bureau conducted an investigation and found . Are robo-calls from the 'Committee for Police Officers' Defense' (aka 9 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. Its made up of series of regular steps timed to the beat of the music that can be improvised as needed. . Even if you like the idea, how do you know the call is legitimate? An IRS report was filed on July 26. Contact us: contact@knowyourpolice.net, SCAM: National Police Support Fund donation, How To Get Insurance Information From Police Report, Is National Police Association Legitimate, How Many Years Of College To Become A Police Officer, Do You Need A Degree To Become A Police Officer, What Are The Steps To Becoming A Police Officer, How Many Hours To Become A Police Officer, What Education Do I Need To Be A Police Officer, How Do You Know If The Police Are Investigating You. 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.. POLICING THE MOST DANGEROUS CITY IN THE COUNTRY: What do Chicago's LEO's and citizens think? For more information, please see our I again was transferred to another person who wanted my credit card info and stated due to covid they wanted to decrease handling and credit cards was the best way to donate. Please note that many legitimate local (and unaffiliated) police foundations and organizations may solicit donations from local communities via telephone and mail. 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. 50 Worst Charities in America: How to Keep From Getting Scammed "So I really want to support the police for what they do.". 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. 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. Get Gephardt Investigates: Who is the 'Police Alliance' and why are Don't Waste Your Money" is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. ("Scripps"). 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. Super PACs are able to raise unlimited amounts of money, which they can use to advocate for political candidates or causes. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. In researching the organizations, I discovered numerous similar-sounding names for PACs raising funds for police officers. The usual claiming they were legitimate. Promoting divisive rhetoric is detrimental to the public safety mission that requires any genuine law enforcement organization to be accountable to its constituents. 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. As a result, he had a positive outlook on military and all law enforcement officers, Busse said, but he never expressed any particular interest in supporting the police through financial donations.. A charity is only one type of nonprofit. The website soliciting funds for Arpaio says, Liberals have targeted Sheriff Joe Arpaio with a multi-million dollar lawsuit because he was upholding the law of the land. Is the American police officers Alliance legit? - iPhone Forum Only one replied directly: 90 percent went to fundraising, and 10 percent went to police support. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. Instead, theyre independent, expenditure-only political action committees, or super PACs. National Police Support Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. 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. The Better Business Bureau says if anyone calls or knocks asking you to help the police, the best thing you can do is ask them for information before you agree to donate. 2. Consumer Protection. With the generous support of readers like you, Times of San Diego publishes timely and accurate news coverage for a better-informed community. If you get one of these calls, do not donate money just hang . As our conversation continued, the caller would lower the amount of funding he was requesting. "I got burned a couple of years ago when I found out another charity I was contributing to was not a real charity, so I thought I should probably check this one out," Beckman said. Being a generous person, she agreed to mail them $50. The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) is a coalition of police unions and associations from across the United States and was organized for the purpose of advancing the interests of America's law enforcement officers through legislative advocacy, political action and education. Bass, who set up several other super PACs, declined to comment. 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. Virginia incorporation papers show James Fotis is president of the Alliance and changed the name to the Defense Coalition. I quickly identified over 70 super PACs with police or law enforcement in their names. 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. Key battles deserve tight alliances. The IRS has pretty broad rules for being a nonprofit organization. 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. You May Like: Do You Need A Degree To Become A Police Officer. The group's videos have received few views, but money has been pouring in. These callers typically use language that suggests they are charities raising money directly for local police. Another charity that should come with a "donator, beware" sign is the Police Protection Fund. The Better Business Bureau is warning about an organization that calls itself the National Police Support Fund which, despite soliciting contributions from St. Louis-area donors, isn't . They do disclose, however, that of the nearly $10 million raised, the super PAC gave more money back to the union roughly $350,000 for office, operational and overhead expenses than the $173,500 it spent on political activities between January 2019 and June 2020. Can the police officers count on you?. That means of a $35 donation, no more than $3.50 goes to their stated cause. 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. National Police Support Fund National Police support fund {February 2023} Reviews, Is National I said I do not donate over the phone, he said I did not need to they would mail me a pledge kit. 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. The first thing I noticed was that I wasnt talking to live people; the answers all sounded scripted and recorded. AARP Membership - LIMITED TIME FLASH SALE. By choosing the . 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! And some are outright scams. Read Also: What Are The Best Police Boots, Read Also: How Do I Become A K9 Police Officer. As a wife of a police officer this is absolutely disgusting! she stated. National Police Defense Foundation has earned a 81% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. 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.