is national police support fund legit

The call was spoofed to appear to be from [a] Montana phone number, he wrote, noting that the caller did not identify the group as a political action committee, or super PAC, and telling his followers that it was not a nonprofit so donations are not tax deductible. Together, the Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund and the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO, have spent about $82.3 million 77 percent of their operating expenditures on fundraising services from around 2011 to March 2018, according to a Public Integrity analysis of annual tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue . Department of Employment and Labour Here are a few ideas to help you give safely: Con artists refer to what they do as a hustle. Type of a scam Charity. If they are PACs, the fundraising effort is politically motivated and wont necessarily support San Diego-area officers or deputies or their families. Eagerly he asked if I was comfortable with that amount. Years later, as the success of the . Sadly, it comes down to their choice of words during a pitch; its unlawful to misrepresent how the money will be spent. Fraud Alert! National Police Support Fund - Angie Ward The charitys affiliation with the government. CONSUMER ALERT: AG Shapiro Warns of Scams Related to Donations for Learn how vehicle tech like blind spot warnings and drowsy driving alerts can help make driving safer. These callers typically use language that suggests they are charities raising money directly for local police. Busse said he and his sister took over their fathers finances last year. 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.. 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 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. It appears there are a number of nonprofits up and running under the apparent control of Fotis. So have we all. Now, the last thing I want to do is discourage you from giving to causes you care about, like supporting police. They improvise and evolve to stay one step ahead of unsuspecting donors. Enter address: This website, like most media sites, uses small files called cookies to anonymously customize the advertising that you see. Each organization says it is spending money for police officers being abused and unfairly targeted. I've asked them repeatedly to stop calling this typically results in additional calls back to back from different numbers. 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. 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. Leaving politics aside for a minute, how do you know if those calls are legitimate? The National Police Support Fund is a legitimate organization that supports the interests of America's law enforcement officers. Im calling on behalf of the National Save the Police Fund,* the voice on the phone told me. 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). Virginia incorporation papers show James Fotis is president of the Alliance and changed the name to the Defense Coalition. Wendy Beckman got a call the other day from a man asking her to help retired police and firefighters. . The source of the funding information was OpenSecrets, a database that tracks spending in U.S. politics run by the Center for Responsive Politics. I later learned the organization is based in Fairfax, VA, and is a political action committee, or PAC. Ways to contribute: You can contribute to the Police Unity Tour by donating through their website. You May Like: Do You Need A Degree To Become A Police Officer. 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 . Just want you notified that they are calling on area code 203 #s in CT now. National Police Support Fund is dedicated to providing a united voice for true Americans who support our nation's law enforcement officers. Is the American police officers Alliance legit? - iPhone Forum Wow! 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. 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). Consumer Protection. I should have been more aware that it sounded fishy and of course just saw the ScamPulse.com warning. proudly complies with state regulations and required disclosures. The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. It's always a variation of the above name. "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. I told him that I had some questions for him before I would donate. If the potential donors suspected they had given to the group before, the callers were instructed to say: I have no way of knowing because we feel that donations are given from the heart, not the hand, so we keep all donation records confidential, according to the FAQ. The answer is that, in many cases, these arent charities at all. 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. Many legitimate charities support local firefighters and police, active duty military, and veterans, or their families. Privacy Policy. The vast majority of donations since 2019 were under $200, meaning the funds came from tens of thousands of donors. To find out more about these organizations, I probed the FEC website, where super PACs report their activity. Last month the National Police Association (NPA) filed an ethics complaint against Rachael Rollins, the new district attorney for Suffolk County, Massachusetts (who recently . The Better Business Bureau conducted an investigation and found . 50 Worst Charities in America: How to Keep From Getting Scammed 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. BBB warns against National Police Support Fund - KFVS12 Virginia incorporation papers show James Fotis is president of the Alliance and changed the name to the Defense Coalition. 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. Absolutely no legitimate law enforcement backed organization would stoop to this level of begging for money. @GunOwners. The robot voice saying the call would be recorded for record purposes sounded so real but it was just him. 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/. Phone Calls for Donations to the Police Could be a Scam - AARP The safest way to donate on social media or crowdfunding campaign is to give to people you actually know. Please reload the page and try again. Type of a scam Charity. The 20 Worst Charities You Shouldn't Be Donating To - Money Inc Simple: less scrutiny. 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. For more information, please refer to the IRS definition of Political Organization. National Police support fund {February 2023} Reviews, Is National Scam PACs? Two Groups Claim To Support Vets And Cops While - Forbes Best and Worst Charities for Your Donations - Consumer Reports Msg&data rates may apply. After further investigation, they are not approved by the better business bureau and they have nothing but horrible reviews . 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. It was found that only 2.7% of donations to the relief fund actually went to the families of fallen officers. NEWS ALERT: House votes to kill Biden's 'woke' rule: 'Phony movement' United Police Fund / National Police Fund scam harassment. Has anyone else recently seen an uptick and calls from various police support organizations? United Police Fund / National Police Fund scam harassment. 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. 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. 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. He was super pushy trying to get me to donate for 75,95, 105 dollars. Three other IUPA executives earned more than $100,000 apiece during fiscal 2017-2018. Ive become suspicious after reading what they had to say . AARP Membership LIMITED TIME FLASH SALE. Please do your homework and avoid scams and misleading appeals for your hard-earned money.. 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. In researching the organizations, I discovered numerous similar-sounding names for PACs raising funds for police officers. Many donors say they believed they were supporting a charity that helps local officers. 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.. The former employee, who asked to remain anonymous because of a nondisclosure agreement, said he remembered fundraising companies outsourcing some of the telemarketing overseas to locations like the Philippines, where they relied on recordings instead of live agents. We are just passing along the information if you get a suspicious call asking for money for police officers.. An image from Law Enforcement For A Safer America PAC's Facebook page. The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. 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. Please let me know if there are any actions ScamPulse.com suggests I take other than ignore any future requests. So have we all. FEC filings show that of the group's minimal political spending, most has gone toward pro-Trump advertising such as billboards. January 11, 2019. We support police officers who risk their lives daily protecting our communities. 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. 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. 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. National Association of Police Athletics/Activities League. 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. 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. Below are our favorite charities for law enforcement: National Police Foundation. Woman calls out scammer after hearing about it on the news The I.U.P.A. Do police call for donations? - JacAnswers Today, the organization has over 300 chapters across the country working to create positive change in local communities. 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. Write the names of the shady businesses in the comments section below, too. I asked if the donation was tax-deductible and he said no but could not elaborate as to why that was. And it's very easy to catch the eye of someone.". That same tax year, the International Union of Police Associations gave 10 students pursuing advanced degrees in law enforcement an average of $2,500 apiece. On 10/29/20 a man called to get pledges for national police support fund. To promote the prevention of juvenile crime and violence by building relationships among kids, cops and community through positive engagement. This person spoke broken english and told me to donate using credit card. What they do: ThePolice Unity Tour raises funds and awareness for members of law enforcement who lost their lives during their service. Tax records show the Fotis organization that phoned me raised $75,000 in 2021, up from $50,000 the year before. "But I'm sure there are a lot that are not on the level, so you kind of have to be cautious," she said. The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. The funds raised during their 4-day long ride are donated directly to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Claire Reiss, 79, said she thought the more than $2,000 she donated would go to injured police and their families, but that she stopped giving away her money when the calls just wouldnt stop. I found a few small line items labeled legislative services, but none that appeared to go directly to supporting police. FTC Announces Operation False Charity Law Enforcement Sweep Promoting divisive rhetoric is detrimental to the public safety mission that requires any genuine law enforcement organization to be accountable to its constituents. Javascript must be enabled to use this site. The group's videos have received few views, but money has been pouring in. National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Free online workshop! When a solicitor for one of these groups calls a prospective donor the pitch will include the truthful statement that they are a nonprofit organization. With everything that's happening this pandemic year, people are getting more and more calls to support their local police. 7:35 AM EDT, Fri October 16, 2020. Fake joke to start out. National Police Association Inc. has earned a 60% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. Read Also: What Are The Steps To Becoming A Police Officer. Super PACs are able to raise unlimited amounts of money, which they can use to advocate for political candidates or causes. FAQs: Who is the National Police Support Fund? HARRISBURG Attorney General Josh Shapiro is warning Pennsylvanians to be on the lookout for bogus fundraising calls that purport to benefit the families of Martin F. Mack and Branden T. Sisca, the two fallen Pennsylvania State Police troopers tragically killed in the line of duty on I-95 South in Philadelphia. National Police and Troopers Association - NPTA - Yelp The Police Officers Defense Alliance, for example, raised $3.2 million in 2020, and The American Police Officers Alliance raised $4.3 million. BREAKING The House just voted to block Biden's woke ESG rule, which would let Wall Street use your retirement savings to fund left-wing political causes. For the record, on their website, it never calls itself a charity or non . There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. 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. It sounded like the solicitor was calling from a boiler room, where individuals dial from a list of working phone numbers. Recommended Reading: How To Become A Desk Police Officer, Also Check: Can Police Help Me Unlock My Car. 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. But none of the money being raised actually goes to police departments, according to government records. A: A 527 political organization is a party committee, association, fund, or other organization organized and operated primarily for the purpose of directly or indirectly accepting contributions or making expenditures for an exempt function. They would have soundboards with prerecorded bits that would play and give the impression they were talking to a live person but in reality it was just someone playing bits off a soundboard, he said. National Association of Police Organizations :: Home - NAPO Another law enforcement charity that faced disciplinary action was the American Association of State Troopers, which was fined a total of $321,115 in three states - Georgia, Mississippi and Pennsylvania. Lots of different special interest groups are nonprofits, including some private businesses that pay their executives quite well. In this case, the pitch was for money for helping police officers in the continuing war against cops.. National Police Association (@NatPoliceAssoc) / Twitter People are receiving phone scam calls asking for donations to help out local police departments or slain and wounded police offers. He instead provided me with their national number. We don't engage in telemarketing. The application also included the name Police Officers Defense Coalition, as well as the Police Officers Defense Alliance. 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. 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. 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. 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. Trade groups like those that represent the fast food or soft drink producers operate as nonprofits. Another telemarketing employee reached by CNN in the Philippines confirmed this, saying he solicited money on behalf of the super PAC and the IUPA using audio recordings of someone who sounded like they were actually calling from America, and that most of the people they reached were elderly adding he felt it was a scam because they didnt realize what they were actually donating to. Asking for donations to the National Police Support Fund. Did you encounter any technical issues? As Smarter Giving notes, what is actually supports is the bank balances of its chief executives. We strive to engage the public through political grassroots activity to support political interests that promote officer's interests. I confronted him that if they were legit, why it was that they are labeled as a scam operation. Being a generous person, she agreed to mail them $50. The VIRGINIA POLICE FUND is an advocate on behalf of law enforcement to ensure they receive adequate funding for proper training and equipment and to inform the public about the issues facing law enforcement.. Virginia's law enforcement officers are some of the best trained officers in the world, however, with the limited resources of local communities, outside professional training is . Please note that many legitimate local (and unaffiliated) police foundations and organizations may solicit donations from local communities via telephone and mail. Only one replied directly: 90 percent went to fundraising, and 10 percent went to police support. At the end of 2021, robocalls raising money for police groups were the highest-volume phone messages in most major U.S. markets, according to Nomorobo, a robocall-blocking company that works with AARP on fraud prevention. Our officers deserve our respect and support, the Super PACs website reads. The first thing I noticed was that I wasnt talking to live people; the answers all sounded scripted and recorded. See the metrics below for more information. The Police Unity Tour was founded in 1997 by Patrick Montuore, a police officer from New Jersey. I started rifling through my mail as he gave me the same exact spiel this time saying he represented United Police support fund. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. "Being that it was a recording right off the bat . The case has not yet been resolved. The National Police Support Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. Bass, who set up several other super PACs, declined to comment. . Pro-Police Organization Isn't a Legit Charity, BBB Warns We use the funds raised from these activities to support elected officials, candidates, and organizations whose goals and values align with our own. We do not support nor do we condone this group, the post stated. Entire local police unions, which negotiate collective bargaining agreements for their members, can choose to affiliate with the group. Wow! It only means they do not seek to make a profit on their activities. Read Also: What Are The Best Police Boots, Read Also: How Do I Become A K9 Police Officer. . Verify: Law enforcement charity phone calls - KSDK A: The National Police Support Fund is a grassroots nonprofit political organization founded in 2017 under Section 527 of the IRS tax code. Your email address will not be published. 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. Is an organization that supports police for donations a charity The Committee for Police Officers Defense, the telemarketers who called me, applied for tax exemption in California. They count on local press coverage and a quick website. 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. He of course provided a non-reassuring answer with no defence when the jig was up, and ended the call. We are entering the crucial last minutes of our ongoing struggle to defend police officers. She had noticed the term PAC on receipts she received in the mail but thought that meant the charities were working together and had a pact to support the police cause she believed in. proudly complies with state regulations and required disclosures. Police Unity Tour. The groups videos have received few views, but money has been pouring in. The organization also participates in advocacy work to emphasize some of the dangers law enforcement officers face, and the sacrifices they make to protect society. I told him that I had some questions for him before I would donate. Learn more about how we use cookies in our cookie policy. The Police Are Always Asking For Money But Where Does That Money Go Another charity that should come with a "donator, beware" sign is the Police Protection Fund. 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. National Police Support Fund - Grassroots Support for Police But their website and solicitations are designed to look and sound like Make a Wish.