This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990. 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. Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2021, Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. The answer is that, in many cases, these arent charities at all. loading and try your donation again. So have we all. International Association of Better Business Bureaus, BBB Scam Alert: Donors beware -- that charity may not be what it seems. Our validator is not a vanity tool, so if you're the manager or the owner of www.committeeforpoliceofficersdefense.com and you're not happy with the 51.80 ranking, keep in mind that your website reflects your business. (More) Rating Information Good This charity's score is 81%, earning it a Three-Star rating. The caller said he was phoning on behalf of the Committee for Police Officers Defense. 2023, International Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc., separately incorporated Better Business Bureau organizations in the US, Canada and Mexico and BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, Inc. All rights reserved. With Surfshark, this is not happening. It only means they do not seek to make a profit on their activities. 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. (Less). 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.. The organization was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Missouri. Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. According to tax records, only a small fraction of donations made to the organization actually support law enforcement officers. Give the page a little longer to finish After testing several fraud prevention products online, we could certainly say the winner is a browser extension called Guardio. Its made up of series of regular steps timed to the beat of the music that can be improvised as needed. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. 21 KILMER DR BLDG 2 STE CMorganville NJ 07751-1568, Mail donations to:P.O. And Law Enforcement for a Safer America appears to be cashing in. But these telemarketers bombarding our phone lines? A Warner Bros. Learn more about our criteria and methodology. Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has these governance practices in place. You know when you search, for example, for a flight and the next time you look at the same search the prices are higher? An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. The vast majority of donations since 2019 were under $200, meaning the funds came from tens of thousands of donors. As reported by charities on their IRS Form 990, this measure reflects what percent of its total budget a charity spends on overhead, administrative staff and associated costs, and organizational meetings. I found a few small line items labeled legislative services, but none that appeared to go directly to supporting police. 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. When we analyze websites, we try to find details that reveal key information about the professionalism of a business - e.g., poor customer service, how they sell, etc. As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. The residual effects of an arrest can be more far reaching than if the officer had been killed. Why does this matter? There are no guarantees that working with an adviser will yield positive returns. An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference. The service is verified by our staff and is legitimate. I quickly identified over 70 super PACs with police or law enforcement in their names. I recently took about a dozen of these police-support calls to hear the pitches. Opt-out: The charity has a written privacy policy published on its website which enables donors to tell the charity to remove their names and contact information from lists the charity shares or sells. Whoops! We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charitys success. For the Scam Detector readers, Guardio offers a 20% discount. Charities face relatively rigorous review from the Internal Revenue Service, and most states require them to register before they can operate there. The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years. But none of the money being raised actually goes to police departments, according to government records. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. No Credit: The charity did not have its audited financials prepared by an independent accountant. How To Block Scam Likely Calls Please enable Javascript in your browser and try AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. In this case, we deduct 15 points from the charity's Accountability and Transparency score. If you are wondering how to report scammers, whether or not from the same field as www.committeeforpoliceofficersdefense.com you can do it to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). Multiple voices could be heard in the background. When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type. Entire local police unions, which negotiate collective bargaining agreements for their members, can choose to affiliate with the group. It wasnt the usual automated call, and hearing a human voice kept me on the line. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. on Reddit, Share FAIRFAX, Va., July 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --The Committee for Police Officers' Defense, the political arm of Police Officers' Defense Coalition, recently launched a petition in support of police officers and their families in the midst of this tumultuous and dangerous time for law enforcement officers. There are all sorts of questions that you could go through to determine if the solicitor on the other end of the phone is from an honest to goodness charity or not. The pop-up charity business is usually local, occasionally regional and rarely national. 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. This is not an offer to buy or sell any security or interest. JW August is a San Diego-based broadcast and digital journalist. Im just curious, have any scammer ever been killed by the person they scammed out of their money? Have a question? "We need to show our federal representatives that the people in our towns and cities support our law enforcement officers," said Committee for Police Officers' Defense President James J. Fotis. Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure. This organizationspends the vast majority of its donations on children. getty T wo political-action committees with missions to support veterans and law enforcement, which share the same treasurer, are spending all of their money on administrative fees. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years. 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 . Our free newsletter is delivered at 8 a.m. daily. We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn. But as I learned, these callers are masters at evading any such disclosure. 7:35 AM EDT, Fri October 16, 2020. Email Scams: Full List Tax records show the Fotis organization that phoned me raised $75,000 in 2021, up from $50,000 the year before. 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. Guardio has over a million users and while it is affordable for the benefits it provides (just a few dollars a month), it covers up to 5 family members. It sounded like the solicitor was calling from a boiler room, where individuals dial from a list of working phone numbers. That means of a $35 donation, no more than $3.50 goes to their stated cause. An image from Law Enforcement For A Safer America PAC's Facebook page. This is a far cry from what well-meaning contributors intended for their contributions. 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. It could be anything from the HTTPS connection to the online management system. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. Charity hustles work the same way. You can get the dealHERE or by clicking the button below. This charity's score is 81%, earning it a Three-Star rating. The existence of a fiduciary duty does not prevent the rise of potential conflicts of interest. Campaign finance data, however, shows that about 98% of the money spent is not being used for this mission. A financial advisor could help you put a charitable plan together to benefit the causes you care most about. 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. Luckily, there is a solution. 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. 76.46. These officers not only have to fight the bad actors in their communities but by doing their job they also have to worry about the political backlash and possible prosecution stemming from an arrest. National Center for Police Defense Inc. reported its largest program on its FY 2020 Form 990 as: NCPD CONDUCTS RESEARCH AND PUBLISHES INFORMATION RELATING TO:(A) LAW ENFORCEMENT MISCONDUCT STATISTICS AND AREAS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT CAUSE PUBLIC CONCERN, (B) CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LEGAL CASES IN WHI (More)NCPD CONDUCTS RESEARCH AND PUBLISHES INFORMATION RELATING TO:(A) LAW ENFORCEMENT MISCONDUCT STATISTICS AND AREAS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT CAUSE PUBLIC CONCERN, (B) CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LEGAL CASES IN WHICH LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ARE CHARGED WITH MISCONDUCT IN THE LINE OF DUTY, AND (C) OTHER MATTERS RELATING TO THE TRAINING AND CONDUCT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN THE COURSE OF THEIR DUTY TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW. http://nationalcenterforpolicedefense.com, 10521 JUDICIAL DRIVEFairfax VA 22030-5160, FairfaxVA | IRS ruling year: 2015 | EIN: 47-3387615, THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR POLICE DEFENSE, INCL (NCPD) HELPS LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AFTER AN ON-DUTY CASTASTROPHE, BY PROVIDING SUPPORT AND RESOURCES DURING THE LEGAL (More)THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR POLICE DEFENSE, INCL (NCPD) HELPS LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AFTER AN ON-DUTY CASTASTROPHE, BY PROVIDING SUPPORT AND RESOURCES DURING THE LEGAL PROCESS OR DURING SICK LEAVE TO A SEVERE INJURY. It means that the website is Questionable. If an organization isnt a charity, then the contributions are not donations and cannot be deducted from your taxes. It offers you effective protection from viruses and zero-day threats, a lightweight, clean, and easy-to-use app, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Its all a way to get your credit card information and a donation. AARP Online Fitness powered by LIFT session is a unique program tailored for you. National Center for Police Defense Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Culture & Community methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its Constituent Feedback or Equity Practices strategies.Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization. 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. Working with an adviser may come with potential downsides such as payment of fees (which will reduce returns). As a wife of a police officer this is absolutely disgusting! she stated. Did you encounter any technical issues? 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. Notify me about the newest scams every week. It also transferred $30,000 to another pro-police super PAC that the union operates, based on the officers listed on its filings. Is www.committeeforpoliceofficersdefense.com a scam? The Scam Detectors algorithm gives this business the Table Scraps Our officers deserve our respect and support, the Super PACs website reads. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years. 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. He said his father served in the Navy for nearly two decades and was always proud of his service. Here are some of the worst offenders: The Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reportingbroke the charities upinto five main categories: children, cancer, police/law enforcement, veterans, fire and other. They have an award-winning VPN service, protecting your privacy, securing your identity, and preventing third parties from tracking your device. April 2, 2023 . The Police Officers' Defense Coalition is committed to flushing out those manipulating the system. See if the website is legit with our validator: The growing number of AnyDesk scams has emerged dramatically over recent years. 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. The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). Im calling on behalf of the National Save the Police Fund,* the voice on the phone told me. See Terms of Use. The Scam Detector algorithm aggregated factors that looked at the company's website in particular, in this case www.committeeforpoliceofficersdefense.com. One very common hustle is the name game. SmartAsset does not review the ongoing performance of any Adviser, participate in the management of any users account by an Adviser or provide advice regarding specific investments. mean? National Center for Police Defense, Inc. is a non-profit, pro-law enforcement organization that helps protect police officers, sheriffs, peace officers, federal agents and first responders, including our military from the system that they protect and serve, during their time of crisis. They all require time and patience to learn and implement. According to its website, the Police Officer Defense Alliance is a Non-Partisan, federally registered Political Action Committee. The "Committee for Police Officer's Defense" (CPOD) was configured in order to complete an intrinsic goal. Below are a few tips for screening for legitimate charities. The man on the other end of the phone is asking for money for the protection of police officers. 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.