is national police support fund legit

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 . National Police Support Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. Law enforcement has a tough enough job without having to put up with charlatans masquerading as heroes. The case has not yet been resolved. The charitys affiliation with the government. He also wanted to highlight law enforcements hard work across the country. After further investigation, they are not approved by the better business bureau and they have nothing but horrible reviews . The call came to Get Gephardt to investigate who exactly it is that's making those calls. On its donate page, the NPA boasts of its work to preserve the American way of life and fight back against cop-haters. He initially solicited $95 and eventually said he would accept a $15 contribution as an offer of goodwill on my part. He seemed okay with it. With the generous support of readers like you, Times of San Diego publishes timely and accurate news coverage for a better-informed community. 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 no i was told I would be sent a pledge form. 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. The calls asking for donations come from aliases like the Police Officers Support Association and The National Coalition for Police & Troopers. 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. This would allow me a chance to talk to your wife about considering further contributions. I told him that there is no such thing as a National Police Trust Fund. They count on local press coverage and a quick website. As Smarter Giving notes, what is actually supports is the bank balances of its chief executives. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. One hit wonders seeking to cash in on the tragedy of the day from floods and fires to missing children and more. This organization spends the vast majority of its donations on children. Ways to contribute: You can contribute to the Police Unity Tour by donating through their website. But their website and solicitations are designed to look and sound like Make a Wish. 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. I told him I did not have any money to donate at the moment. 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. IRS reports show that in 2011 alone, executive director Ken Howles drew an $87000 salary of the little money left over, only around 9-14% made its way into the hands of the troopers. Operators who are so susprised it's scam. 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." It was found that only 2.7% of donations to the relief fund actually went to the families of fallen officers. 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. 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. 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. The vast majority of donations since 2019 were under $200, meaning the funds came from tens of thousands of donors. But none of the money being raised actually goes to police departments, according to government records. The groups videos have received few views, but money has been pouring in. I came across ScamPulse.com warning people about donating to the NPSF . 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. It's always a variation of the above name. 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. 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 Police Officers Defense Alliance, for example, raised $3.2 million in 2020, and The American Police Officers Alliance raised $4.3 million. Go to their website and give there or call the number listed. 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. The pop-up charity business is usually local, occasionally regional and rarely national. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. I also learned that they were sued in the biggest FTC case in history. 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. She verified my information and repeatedly asked me to promise to mail it back as soon as I received it. Multiple voices could be heard in the background. BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - From unmarked strip-mall offices in small-town Alabama, the calls go out across the United States, meant to talk people into giving . 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. 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items. 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. While some donors believe they are donating to . 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. Entire local police unions, which negotiate collective bargaining agreements for their members, can choose to affiliate with the group. 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. With everything that's happening this pandemic year, people are getting more and more calls to support their local police. While there are no requirements dictating the percentage of money that must go toward political activities, campaign finance expert Rob Pyers has dubbed the group a Scam PAC because of its high operating expenses and negligible political spending. This all looks very peculiar, said Richard Briffault, a professor at Columbia Law School who specializes in campaign finance. The charitys programs focus primarily on education, mentorship, and athletic activities that empower youth. To find out more about these organizations, I probed the FEC website, where super PACs report their activity. 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. 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. Read our full report on the organization here, https://bit.ly/3xMbldo. I said I do not donate over the phone, he said I did not need to they would mail me a pledge kit. Just want you notified that they are calling on area code 203 #s in CT now. Help us grow with a monthly contribution. He gave a range of donations to be made . A special program within the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO.Speaking With One Voice, Moving With One Purpose. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. 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. He said his father has always leaned heavily Democratic, supported President Barack Obama and previously expressed strong anti-Trump views. Just hang up. If your phone rings, it's not us. It appears there are a number of nonprofits up and running under the apparent control of Fotis. And soon, you say, sure, why not? Please do your homework and avoid scams and misleading appeals for your hard-earned money.. This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies. Charities face relatively rigorous review from the Internal Revenue Service, and most states require them to register before they can operate there. Asking for donations to the National Police Support Fund. He paused for a few seconds and said "okay, bye" and hung up the phone. 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. Charity hustles work the same way. Read Also: Do You Have To Call The Police After An Accident, 2021 KnowYourPolice.net If you are still not sure if your money is really going to the cause, call your local police or fire department and ask how you can donate to them. I received a call today from someone from The National Police Support Fund, who claimed to be collecting money for a drive. One of the more successful scams is when the scammer poses as one of many charities benefitting Law Enforcement. National Police Support Fund is dedicated to providing a united voice for true Americans who support our nation's law enforcement officers. Promoting divisive rhetoric is detrimental to the public safety mission that requires any genuine law enforcement organization to be accountable to its constituents. Government documents show that the founding treasurer is currently an executive at the International Union of Police Associations. 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. Im calling on behalf of the National Save the Police Fund,* the voice on the phone told me. Has anyone else recently seen an uptick and calls from various police support organizations? National Police Association Inc. has earned a 60% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. Here are the Top 7 Amazon scam calls. I confronted him that if they were legit, why it was that they are labeled as a scam operation. 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 latter is the name of the PAC I found earlier that had raised $3.2 million in contributions. Leaving politics aside for a minute, how do you know if those calls are legitimate? Campaign finance data, however, shows that about 98% of the money spent is not being used for this mission. But the groups file financial disclosures with federal regulators under only a handful of names. 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. Use a search engine to look for " your state + charity list ". 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. Wendy is fine with that and will sleep better now. When I googled the fund, a BBB caution was the first result. It appears their lack of transparency regarding where the money goes was the reason for the BBB caution. That way, you avoid all of . Please enable Javascript in your browser and try You May Like: Do You Need A Degree To Become A Police Officer. Virginia incorporation papers show James Fotis is president of the Alliance and changed the name to the Defense Coalition. The union has recently claimed to have more than 100,000 members, but the IUPA has reported around 20,000 members in tax filings. 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 . A warning tonight about a phone and mail scam asking for donations. The application also included the name Police Officers Defense Coalition, as well as the Police Officers Defense Alliance. And Law Enforcement for a Safer America appears to be cashing in. He said he wanted a contribution for the police department and man and women who are fighting to protect us. Each organization says it is spending money for police officers being abused and unfairly targeted. Gifts to actual charities are donations to PACs, which sometimes sound like charities, are not. Never disclose personal information. Or follow the simplest rule: Never give to anyone over the phone, said Margot Saunders, senior counsel for the National Consumer Law Center. That link will take you to Illinois, where I live. I was contacted in Wilton, CT by representatives of the National Police Support Fund. You read that correctly. . National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. The group's videos have received few views, but money has been pouring in. Read Also: How Do You Know If The Police Are Investigating You. Terms & conditions/privacy policy apply https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com/terms-of-service/, Contributions to the National Police Support Fund are not tax deductible. 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. Please reload the page and try again. 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. 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. Many donors say they believed they were supporting a charity that helps local officers. Just as you sit down to dinner, the phone rings and the caller asks for a donation. With tales of woe and heartbreaking images of children or helpless animals, they beg for assistance. 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. The Committee for Police Officers Defense, the telemarketers who called me, applied for tax exemption in California. But then she started to worry, especially when she couldn't find the group listed as a charity anywhere online. 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/. Tax records show the Fotis organization that phoned me raised $75,000 in 2021, up from $50,000 the year before. As an example, he cites former Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona. Law Enforcement for a Safer America has raked in nearly $10 million in donations from January 2019 to June 2020, according to data reported to the Federal Election Commission. 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. Can the police officers count on you?. The answer is that, in many cases, these arent charities at all. The National Police Support Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. The organization began as a service program providing mentorship and outreach activities to youth as a way to combat juvenile crime. The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. How a donation will be used, or how much of the donation actually goes to the charitys programs. 7:35 AM EDT, Fri October 16, 2020. (Santa Rosa, Calf.) 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. 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. Sara Kemerer of the . During the pandemic, a plethora of fraudulent websites came out like a plague. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. 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. A hustle is like the 70s disco dance. 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. Absolutely no legitimate law enforcement backed organization would stoop to this level of begging for money. It wasnt the usual automated call, and hearing a human voice kept me on the line. Only one replied directly: 90 percent went to fundraising, and 10 percent went to police support. The National Police Support Fund is a national coalition committed to promoting the interests of America's. Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. They improvise and evolve to stay one step ahead of unsuspecting donors. The robot voice saying the call would be recorded for record purposes sounded so real but it was just him. 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. A donation of $10, $15 or $25 would help keep . 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. He could not answer. People are receiving phone scam calls asking for donations to help out local police departments or slain and wounded police offers. Don't Waste Your Money" is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. ("Scripps"). SCAM: National Police Support Fund donation. Get a FREE subscription to AARP The Magazine. Our mission is to promote the interests of our nation's police officers within our nation's political and public policy process. Now, the last thing I want to do is discourage you from giving to causes you care about, like supporting police. 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. The BBB said days later, the New Jersey State Police photo had been removed from the site. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. And some are outright scams. Also Check: How To File A Police Report For Id Theft, You May Like: How Do Police Deal With Homeless. 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). After I rejected he offered some booster donations of 15,25, 35 dollars to Goodwill or other organizations. "So I really want to support the police for what they do.". Consumer Protection. We don't engage in telemarketing. 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. You read that correctly. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Read Also: What Are The Steps To Becoming A Police Officer. It also transferred $30,000 to another pro-police super PAC that the union operates, based on the officers listed on its filings. That means of a $35 donation, no more than $3.50 goes to their stated cause. Why does this matter? "As Pennsylvanians look to support [] ThePAC, organized by Zachary Bass, spent 90% of its take on fundraising, campaign filings show. The solution, the letter says, is clear: Give our law enforcement officers the crime prevention tools they need. I asked if the donation was tax-deductible and he said no but could not elaborate as to why that was. If they are PACs, the fundraising effort is politically motivated and wont necessarily support San Diego-area officers or deputies or their families. Key battles deserve tight alliances. As a wife of a police officer this is absolutely disgusting! she stated. National Police Support Fund is a grassroots political organization that is committed to aligning the interests and needs of police officers with the publics issues and concerns within the national political process. 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. 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. Being a generous person, she agreed to mail them $50. So have we all. At times, I thought they were maybe misguided, he said. The IRS has pretty broad rules for being a nonprofit organization. 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). 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. See the metrics below for more information. You can find more information about "who is the National Police Support . Recommended Reading: How To Become A Desk Police Officer, Also Check: Can Police Help Me Unlock My Car. 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. Have a problem?Send me an email, at jmatarese@wcpo.com or message me on Facebook. 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. 2019 - The South African Department of Employment & Labour Disclaimer PAIA JW August is a San Diego-based broadcast and digital journalist. National Police Support Fund representatives have been phoning potential donors in the St. Louis area over the past several weeks, including the wife of a retired police officer who said she . The rest of the money has gone primarily to the firms helping it solicit donations including nearly $3 million in payments to one telemarketing company sued by the government last month for allegedly using deceptive tactics. Fake joke to start out. 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. 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..

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