Nonprofit groups with ties to law enforcement have your number and they're dialing it this Christmas.A review by The Dallas Morning News found that several charities have spent up to 89 percent of the money they collect on telemarketers, cutting deeply into what they can spend on programs.Some say the figures show that a Texas law regulating telephone solicitation by law-enforcement-related groups isn't working."When your spending is upside down like that, you would have to ask yourself as a consumer, 'Are they a telemarketing organization or are they legitimately representing the concerns of law-enforcement officers?' " said Charley Wilkison, spokesman for the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas. ...Wilkison, the CLEAT spokesman, called phone solicitation an "illegitimate funding stream," but he didn't single out any group for criticism."Texans have big hearts. They hear that an officer is killed in the line of duty and it touches them. They think they are giving it to a widow and an orphan, and the fact is they are not," he said.
I got one of these calls at home the other day and turned them down, more offended by it than inspired to generosity. Looking at the data at the end of the Dallas News story, this bizarre niche has turned into a lucrative industry of telemarketers profiteering off public sympathy for fallen police. Pretty sleazy and manipulative, if you ask me.
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10 comments:
This is the Fraternal Order of Police, FOP.
They fought legislation to ban this practice.
That wasn't the group that called me - I wish I'd written down their name - but it was a pretty aggressive pitch.
Telemarketers seldom make it past the screening in my phone system, the last one I talked to that associated himself with law enforcement failed to get around my request for mailed documentation.
Besides cops know that only drug dealers put those bumper stickers on their vehicles.
The facts are that only 50 or so police officers are killed by felony gunfire each year. This, out of about 1 million officers in the U.S.
Not that a LE death isn't a bad thing, but "C'Mon Man" more people die each day in traffic accidents than do police die in a a decade.
Donate your time and money to where it is realistically needed, such as for homeless and ill children ...
Some of these moochers try to use tuff to get donations. They talk in the deep-toned, southern cop, authoritarian style that sounds like a Texas highway patrol telling you to "step out of the vehicle". Then they get pushy when you say no. It's like, "what did you say?", followed by silence. It's really comical.
Anon 12:15,
Does it matter whether the officer is killed by gunfire or in a car accident trying to get to a call?
What about other issues, like officers that were assaulted? 58,792 officers were assaulted in the line of duty in 2008, and some of the police organizations provide benefits to those officers while they are recovering. In all, 11.3% of officers are assaulted on duty, or one in ten, every year.
If you don't want to donate, then don't - but don't presume to tell others what they can do with their money.
Grits is right on this one, as is Charlie. Telemarketing should not take all the money meant for the benefit of officers.
Sheriff's Association of Texas, DPSOA, Texas State Troopers Association, CLEAT, FOP.........doesn't matter which one you contribute too, the majority of the donated money goes toward paying administrative expenses like salaries of thos e working for the organization.
Don't believe me then ask each group mentioned for a copy of their annual budget and statement of expenses.
For The Bluesman:
Look behind those statistics, pal.
For example check out the case of the trucker being charged with Aggravated Assault for spitting out his window and NOT hitting the officer.
Anything from "not respectin ma authoritie" to brushing against an officer is considered an assault. It's just a way of screwing people over.
It's BS, just as the your contention that you're being told where to spend your money.
Waste it where you want.
I'd rathr spend it where there is a real need rather than a fake need and the donations actually go to those in need.
I actually stopped giving money to the 100 Club when I discovered that they had a BS ceremony last year and gave out about 40 handguns to officers for awards. One was for a female cop who was walking in a neighborhood and found a guy stuck under a car. That's worthy of an award?
The 100 Club markets itself as an organization that gives money to widows and orphans of fallen officers, which is a bald faced lie.
TX Blues, nobody made them become cops. They chose to for the unofficial “fringe benefits” of the job. You know, be able to beat someone to a bloody pulp. Shoot and kill someone because they thought the person was a “danger” or guilty . a.k.a. rogue cop “ street ( in) justice” , commit perjury with impunity , the “freebies” from prostitutes free drugs and alcohol from Illegal search and seizures.
Let us not forget " professional courtesy " , along with the notorious “ blue wall of silence”.
All of those “fringe benefits” , will land a citizen in prison for what could be up to life or worse on death row.
If they do not want to “put their lives on the line” , put up with coarse language, take the very very slim risk of getting shot as anon 12:15 pointed out. There are two incredibly simple solutions one do not be a cop or try this treat us citizens as human beings, not the enemy where or someone who is guilty or about to commit the most horrific acts imaginable
I thought it was some sort of felony to mislead people for financial gain. I know in TDCJ it is a major case , and I know average citizens go to TDCJ for doing so.
Yes it does matter how a person loses their life. Reckless and irresponsible driving an extreme rates of speed for no apparent reason and mishandling of firearms “sometimes for entertainment or show”, are far different than an homicide
These deaths are primarily caused by a total lack of any real accountability and a false sense of invulnerability . All deaths are tragic, some are preventable .
Also some nonprofit and charitable organizations are worthy of one's time and money others such as FOP and other cop in prison guard union's already have more than enough money. The best example is the CCPOA . Which has had a big hand in California's financial meltdown. CCPOA routinely makes these kind of phone calls at the same time successfully lobbies for legislation that has cost California taxpayers and by extension all US taxpayers billions. Hypocrisy at its finest!
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