The Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund is there immediately to support our public safety officers in their greatest time of need. loading and try your donation again. We hosted our most recent event at the beautiful Sarasota National Golf Club in Venice, Florida. Their 2nd quarter filing showed that they spent $1,014,037 with only $972,145 coming in. Partial Credit: There has been a diversion of assets within the last two years and the charity has used Schedule O on the Form 990 to explain: the nature of the diversion, the amount of money or property involved and the corrective action taken to address the matter. In fact, there are numerous reviews and complaints regarding the NPSF on both the BBB and consumer review sites such as Yelp. 6. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly. About $5.5 million of the $8.8 million in the groups expenses that year was spent on fundraising. "The Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund was established to provide support and resources to officers You read that correctly. Within months, the union began contracting with three new telemarketing companies, according to tax returns. $10,000 to a Florida-based organization that helps handicapped children and a $10,000 to a golf sponsorship for the Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund . Donations arent directed to the Trenton Police Department or typically any other police agency, for that matter. With so much stuff happening in the world on social media, its easy for things to get lost. make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations. This normally would have reduced their star rating. The organization has had huge and very public stalls on a major project yet senior management continues to point fingers externally rather than evaluate their part in the matter. Lewis responded: We are sorry you had a negative experience with our fundraiser on the phone! See the metrics below for more information. An associated political action committee, Law Enforcement for a Safer America, raised $4.5 million from donors across the country from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019. The first couple of times (which was years ago, now), I was polite and told him that my husband and I were both LEOs and aside from donating our lives to the career, we also donated to several police organizations already. Sarasota, FL 34233. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. There are so many negative narratives regarding LE floating out there right now, this does nothing to help it. California resident Kellie Van Westen, 69, said she has family members who are law enforcement. - Additional Questions No: This charity either does not have a written donor privacy policy in place to protect their contributors' personal information, or the existing policy does not meet our criteria. During 2017, more than 100 tax-exempt groups claiming to represent police officers, sheriffs deputies and state troopers reported spending more than $100,000 each on professional fundraisers, according to IRS data from federal tax returns. Ackloo, who is now 30 years old and works in New York City, was hired. The big picture is Florida has this great statute, but zero enforcement, so its just words, words, words.. In this quarter, they contributed $968,951 to themselves. According to tax records, only a small fraction of donations made to the organization actually support law enforcement officers. So, if your phone rings, and the person on the other end says they are with the National Police Support Fundhang up. 1 (1) In this Act, "county" means a county or district described in section 151 of the Courts of Justice Act; ("comt") While the union flaunts itself as the only union for law enforcement officers, it is questionable in its reports of membership, which have been shown to be false on more than one occasion. Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund has earned a 94% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. (Readers may recall the bizarre case of Bobby Thompson, among a number of others.) The first couple of times (which was years ago, now), I was polite and told him that my husband and I were both LEOs and aside from donating our lives to the career, we also donated to several police organizations already. Cart ID: Not Assigned, Copyright 2023 | EIN 13-4148824 | Bridge ID 3108588923. This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies. Florida requires nonprofits to register and submit routine financial statements detailing their expenses, says Florida lawyer Matt Weidner, but that appears to be where the monitoring ends. A union-backed police charity spends just a sliver of its money on those it purports to serve, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), The casket of Jersey City Police Detective Joseph Seals is carried out of the church during his funeral in Jersey City, N.J., on Dec. 17, 2019. Why does its charitable arm spend such a small percentage of donors money on charity? If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence. Simply enter the organization's name (Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund) or EIN (521095066) in the 'Search Term' field. Two others, Courtesy Call and Donor Relations, are run by Richard Zeitlin out of Las Vegas, who was being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission as well as a Florida Grand Jury for engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices.. Do not be confused about the source of these solicitations. It names four police groups, including IUPA, as organizations that may be claiming to represent State Troopers.. Overview: Founded in 1984, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) is dedicated to telling the story of U.S. law enforcement and making it safer for those who serve. This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies. The Federal Trade Commission was investigating whether Zeitlins Courtesy Call and Donor Relations companies were engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices, but the agency dropped the matter in the fall of 2018, citing an ongoing grand jury investigation in Florida involving the two companies. This organization received multiple star ratings within this fiscal year, due to an update to its Accountability and Transparency data and/or the receipt of an amended Form 990. Organizations that demonstrate consistent annual growth in program expenses are able to outpace inflation and thus sustain their programs year to year. We support and defend the law enforcement profession and those law enforcement officers who have devoted their lives to up (More)Our mission is benevolent and educational. Whats worse is the telemarketing companies IUPA used. 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. The best charities that support law enforcement are the National Police Foundation, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, and Concerns of Police Survivors. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Helpthe Center for Public Integrityinvestigate telemarketers who claim theyre raising money for charitable causes. The Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates betrayals of public trust. 2023 Copyright Law Enforcement Today - All Rights Reserved. SARASOTA, Florida A uniformed police officer rests his hand on a casket and bows his head in an image on the homepage of the Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund. 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"). This PAC raised $4.5 million from donors, and spent $4 million of that on fundraising. $708,206. Cresent Hardy should immediately donate this dirty money to a group that actually supports law enforcement officers, and explain why he received it in the first place. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. Make sure you click following and then click see first so you dont miss a thing! Your Name (required) Your Email (required) Subject. Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund Inc. has earned a 60% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. Investigating the systems and circumstances that contribute to inequality. We include in a charity's working capital unrestricted and temporarily restricted net assets, and exclude permanently restricted net assets. How to Facilitate and Engage in Healthy Decision-making Processes. As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. The LELDF is a great charity that provides much-needed support to law enforcement officers. No Credit: There has been a diversion of assets within the last two years and the charity's explanation on Schedule O is either non-existent or not sufficient. Unfortunately, these people are not the only ones who are taking advantage of the soft spot some people have for our law enforcement community. (See image below.) Fundraising expenses can include campaign printing, publicity, mailing, and staffing and costs incurred in soliciting donations, memberships, and grants. Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund reported its three largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as: Defending Wrongfully-Charged Law Enforcement Officers, Support of Law Enforcement Professional Associations. The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. Would you be willing to send us an email at [emailprotected] so we can we learn more about your experience? Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic: When our simulator program came to a halt, we were able to create an online version of this called Decision Points. Franais. His employees then called security, who ushered the reporter out of the hotel. There is also information for all to view on the incidents the organization has responded to and provided funds and supplies for, such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Haiti earthquake, floods, fires, and tsunamis. At the time of this writing, the relief funds website was no longer functioning. Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website. Little went to political action or advocacy the core purposes of a PAC. She has two published children's books (Police Man Daddy and Police Officer Mommy, both available on www.tactical16.com). An upbeat 1979 column in The San Francisco Policeman the newsletter of the citys police association heralded the newly minted IUPAs drive to unionize (the) nations 400,000 police officers. IUPA quickly signed up 51,000 members, affiliated with police forces in major cities and successfully lobbied for passage of a landmark labor law. Why Aren't Donated Clothes Always Given Away for Free? NPSF paid those four groups $1,863,361 in 2018, to do their fundraising for them. Furthermore, charity watchdogs say that a legitimate group will donate or contribute 65% of its funding to the cause it supports. Most of the money raised by the Relief Fund, specifically, is spent on professionaltelemarketerswho charge high rates to aggressively solicit money on behalf of fallen officers. One donor said her elderly mother was approached by the organization to pay a $20 pledge they claimed was made by her dead father who passed away in the mid-80s. The vice president of the union, Michael Crivello, was also the founding treasurer of Law Enforcement for a Safer America. You read that correctly. Despite how shady and sneaky the union and it affiliates are with obtaining more and more money, they dont do a very good job of hiding it. I told him to send me something in the mail. The NPAs immigration proposalAuthorizing local law enforcement officers to perform federal immigration law enforcement functionsis based on fear-mongering and a clear recipe for abuse and division. The Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund is part of the IUPA as well, and allegedly provides financial support to families of fallen officers while they wait for their full benefits to kick in. Would a legitimate operation have such an inappropriate message prompt? The Fund was created to assist law enforcement officers when faced with tragedy, such as violence or natural disaster. The men have also caught the attention of lawmakers and regulators. For example, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) These organizations also supply givers with greater confidence by maintaining broad public support for their programs. From roughly 2011 to March 2018, the union and the relief fund spent about $106.3 million, according to annual tax returns filed with the IRS. In October, it held its annual golf tournament in Venice, Florida. Your donation attempt encountered a problem. We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria. This is the type of information that should be transparent so people know the organizations theyre donating to is properly using their hard earned dollars. As a matter of fact, many people have taken to the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Youtube, Charity Navigator, and local news outlets to report their disapproval and concerns of the NPTA. 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. It began using some of the newest companies owned by Zeitlin, the Las Vegas telemarketer. Its difficult to obtain much information about the NPTA online, but what is easy to discover is the skeeziness and illegitimacy of the donation requests. LET Contributor Leah Anaya shared this story with us this week. Are you starting to see a pattern develop here? We know because we checked when deciding which non-profits that support law enforcement and survivors that we as an organization support. Annually, we put together a golf classic to benefit the Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund. The IUPA has several red flags of its own, according to Public Integrity, as well as other sources. All the latest Law Enforcement Today news, updates and alerts delivered straight to your phone or inbox. When natural disasters occur, it is common for some people to try to take advantage of survivors by posing as official disaster aid workers trying to help survivors complete their applications. Leah is now The Business Operations Manager for the Washington State Fraternal Order of Police, active in her local WAFOP chapter, and a peer support advocate. As a matter of fact, many people have taken to the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Youtube, Charity Navigator, and local news outlets to report their disapproval and concerns of the NPTA. It was found that only 2.7% of donations to the relief fund actually went to the families of fallen officers. It turns out, I am not the only person who has had to do this. IRS compliance information is also located directly on the page. Both men appear to make similar figures at the IUPA. They are using other telemarketing firms, such as Residential Programs, Incorporated, who currently sport an F rating from the BBB. TheCenter for Public Integrityis a nonprofit investigative news organization focused on inequality in the U.S. We do not accept advertising or charge people to read our work. 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. Granted, 11 families received a total of $72,000, and some of it (about $25,000, or $2,500 per person) went towards law enforcement student tuition and scholarships. 2010, CHAPTER 16 Schedule 4. Other names to beware of in association with the IUPA are the Police Officers Support Association and the National Emergency Responders Coalition, but now that Public Integrity has published their report, it would be wise to do extensive research into the organizations that you choose to donate to where claims of supporting law enforcement lie. In the tax year that ended in March 2019, the union shifted gears. The Tampa Bay Times in 2014 put the union on its list of organizations that spend little on the causes they champion. Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59. 5632 Bee Ridge Rd STE 200 Its called LET Unity, and its where we share the untold stories of those patriotic Americans. Interestingly, the FOP doesnt even have a donate button on their website, where as the option to donate is front and center for all of the other aforementioned groups in this writing. Issued: N/A; Expires: N/A; Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund, Inc. Not Evaluated. Donations made to LEORF go towards assisting the officer's immediate family with funeral costs or medical expenses, household finances, future . Description The organization provides assistance to Law Enforcement personnel, as well as immediate family members who have suffered loss as a result of disaster or unusual tragedy. See the metrics below for more information. When I refused to give him the credit information, he became irritated and transferred my call to another man. 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