is national police support fund legit

The Greenfield, Massachusetts, police department warned about the group last year as well. "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. He could not answer. How to report a scammer? Type of a scam Charity. 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. Recommended Reading: How To Become A Desk Police Officer, Also Check: Can Police Help Me Unlock My Car. You read that correctly. Why does this matter? In fact, as Ive previously , supporting law enforcement and supporting reform movements such as Black Lives Matter are not mutually exclusive. Discovery Company. 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. Police Unity Tour. These charities usually rake in a few thousand dollars and disappear. 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. Wow! January 11, 2019. To promote the prevention of juvenile crime and violence by building relationships among kids, cops and community through positive engagement. The BBB said days later, the New Jersey State Police photo had been removed from the site. JW August is a San Diego-based broadcast and digital journalist. Below are a few tips for screening for legitimate charities. Contributions made to National Police Support Fund are not tax-deductible. 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. I found a few small line items labeled legislative services, but none that appeared to go directly to supporting police. 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. Cookie Notice He instead provided me with their national number. In fact, they count on the confusion to gather contributions. If it is a scam they are awfully convincing on the phone but are also rather forceful. I asked for the number so I could call back after I made my decision and he gave me the 1-866 number and said to call with any questions and thanked me for my time. "The National Police Support Fund is neither a 501(c)3 nor a 501(c)4 organization, but rather a political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. I was contacted in Wilton, CT by representatives of the National Police Support Fund. Police Protection Fund. It also transferred $30,000 to another pro-police super PAC that the union operates, based on the officers listed on its filings. The International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO was formed in 1979 to collectively represent those in law enforcement that are active or retired law enforcement officers to fight to improve, protect, and remember the lives of officers and their families in law enforcement the organization also works to improve legislation that protects and affects public safety officers, as well as representing the needs of law enforcement officers and support personnel, whether that be for better equipment, more staff or a fair wage. By choosing the . She said she was told the group was a charity benefiting police and troopers. SCAM: National Police Support Fund donation. ', 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. A profit according to Investopedia.com is revenue that exceeds expenses. The organization began as a service program providing mentorship and outreach activities to youth as a way to combat juvenile crime. Why does this matter? He gave a range of donations to be made . What they do: ThePolice Unity Tour raises funds and awareness for members of law enforcement who lost their lives during their service. This includes marketing and outreach to supporters and communities, grassroots political efforts, and digital marketing efforts. Also Check: Do You Have To Pay For A Police Report. ThePAC, organized by Zachary Bass, spent 90% of its take on fundraising, campaign filings show. It said callers were soliciting support for police officers but that the group was actually connected to a political action committee. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. 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. "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. For anyone interested in supporting law enforcement, experts say, think local. 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. 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. We support police officers who risk their lives daily protecting our communities. Even if you like the idea, how do you know the call is legitimate? UPDATE 2020-10-29: Another new call from 585-206-3552 with a similar pre-recorded voice auto-responder identifying as 'Jeff Scott' with the National Police Support Fund. National Association of Police Athletics/Activities League. What can we learn from the latest Coinbase cyberattack? Busse said he and his sister took over their fathers finances last year. 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. If you want to donate money for your police or fire department, send your contribution to the local sheriff or chiefs directly. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. Has anyone else recently seen an uptick and calls from various police support organizations? Gotten calls like this? So have we all. 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 National Police Support Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. Some tips for consumers: Listen carefully for the name of the organization. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 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. Please do your homework and avoid scams and misleading appeals for your hard-earned money.. In two words, its not. Its been a tough couple years for local law enforcement. Ask for information, check sites like Charitynavigator.org and then if it all checks out, write that check. 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/. You can find more information about "who is the National Police Support . Its made up of series of regular steps timed to the beat of the music that can be improvised as needed. I asked him if the organization supports Donald Trump. proudly complies with state regulations and required disclosures. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The International Union of Police Associations and its related organizations go by more than a dozen different names, including the Police Officers Support Association and the National Emergency Responders Coalition. The National Police Association files amicus brief opposing Oregon's attempt to criminalize law abiding gun owners. When I googled the fund, a BBB caution was the first result. But these telemarketers bombarding our phone lines? The Committee for Police Officers Defense, the telemarketers who called me, applied for tax exemption in California. Help us grow with a monthly contribution. 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. 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. Here are a few ideas to help you give safely: Con artists refer to what they do as a hustle. There have been calls circulating from a Police Officers Support Association asking for credit card donations. But as I learned, these callers are masters at evading any such disclosure. Please reload the page and try again. It only means they do not seek to make a profit on their activities. Another charity that should come with a "donator, beware" sign is the Police Protection Fund. Not authorized by any candidate or . The union has recently claimed to have more than 100,000 members, but the IUPA has reported around 20,000 members in tax filings. This section is used to influence public opinion in support of the interests of . With everything that's happening this pandemic year, people are getting more and more calls to support their local police. Our mission is to promote the interests of our nation's police officers within our nation's political and public policy process. We strive to engage the public through political grassroots activity to support political interests that promote officer's interests. Can the police officers count on you?. He also wanted to highlight law enforcements hard work across the country. The organization began as a service program providing mentorship and outreach activities to youth as a way to combat juvenile crime. 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. Individual officers can also become members, according to its website. 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. But whats the truth. I looked up one called Law Enforcement for a Safer America PAC, which seemed to be especially active, based on Nomorobos monitoring. 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! Consumer Protection. A 5 On Your Side viewer got one of those calls recently, asking him to support the National Police and Troopers Association.But before saying yes, he called us to ask if it was legit. Continuously redirected to the toll free number provided which cut out each time it was listed. 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. A warning tonight about calls targeting people around the Tri-State asking them to help support the 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. But almost no one was helped. 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. A Warner Bros. Here are the Top 7 Amazon scam calls. The case has not yet been resolved. I said no i was told I would be sent a pledge form. Wow! Our grassroots organization was formed under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, which allows us to engage in political activity. Contributions are not tax deductible. Leaving politics aside for a minute, how do you know if those calls are legitimate? After further investigation, they are not approved by the better business bureau and they have nothing but horrible reviews . 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. The National Police Association is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization, IRS NTEE classification code B01, Alliance/Advocacy Organizations, within the Educational . Their impact and transparency ratings: The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League has an Accountability and Transparency score of 92 out of 100 from Charity Navigator. 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. Phony Firefighters Scam. 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. . 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. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Key battles deserve tight alliances. This comes at a time when some community activists have been calling for "defunding" the police. This organization spends the vast majority of its donations on children. AARP Membership - LIMITED TIME FLASH SALE. Eagerly he asked if I was comfortable with that amount. 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. These Are the 9 Best Charities for Law Enforcement in 2023. 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.. On 11/4 another local call came it was the same man! I did satisfy my rather small donation at their website https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com . The Police Unity Tour was founded in 1997 by Patrick Montuore, a police officer from New Jersey.

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