Posts Tagged ‘charity’

I received a robocall from the Washington State Fraternal Order of Police today that really makes me wonder about the ethics of that organization.  While it is always annoying to receive an automated telemarketing sales pitch, this call was particularly offensive in that it offered to send or deliver a sticker for my car window if I made a donation.   Why would anyone offer you a sticker for your car?  Why not offer a sticker for your refrigerator, or home window, or lunchbox?  Well, what the Washington State Fraternal Order of Police is seemingly offering is the implicit promise that you would receive lenient treatment the next time you get pulled over for a traffic infraction.   Yuck.  That is pretty sleazy in my opinion, and I would hope that officers would not be swayed by such a sticker.  As a prosecutor, I always hoped that the police enforced speeding laws evenly and fairly.  Whenever I was pulled over, I would not identify myself as a prosecuting attorney to try to get out of a ticket.  That just seemed tacky.

When I checked out this Washington State Fraternal Order of Police “charity” online, I did not like what I saw. According to the listing with the Secretary of State, only 20% of any donation goes to program services.  Other police charities, such as Concerns of Police Survivors Inc. at 80%, have much higher levels.

I haven’t been the only person to complain about the Washington State Fraternal Order of Police, there is a site that tracks complaints on this group.

What do people think?  Am I missing something about this group?  Am I wrong about what the group implies by offering a sticker?  Does anyone know of a more reputable charity that people can donate to in order to support the police?