Ever get those calls from the policeman's association?

[Jara sang]

Or whoever they are, the State Policeman's Association or some such. Soliciting for donations to their group? The people doing the soliciting are always real gruff and try to be really intimidating. Has anybody else encountered this? It really pisses me off. They realize that people are scared shitless of the cops and they try to use this as a tactic to get you to give them money. Oh and it's always a man doing the soliciting, like you think that they might be an actual cop. I can't tell you how much this pisses me off. When they call me I get real angry at them and tell them to take my name off their lists. Fucking assholes.:mad:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. yes

When I answer the phone, I tell them I never respond to telephone soliticitations and hang up. My husband tried to be polite the last time. He told them he was out of work, but if they'd send him literature, he'd look at this. They sent him literature all right-a note saying he'd agreed to pay them ten bucks! I told him from now on to let me talk to the bozos or to simply hang up on them.

[tridim]

2. They always make me feel bad

"I can't donate, I'm broke"
"Can we put you down for $20? $15? $10?"

I've never given a dime because I've been told it's a scam, but I should learn my lesson and just hang up before they start guilt tripping me.

[hfojvt]

3. about the only calls I get

and I am supposed to be on a no-call list. I suppose I should check with the state AG and see if those calls have an exemption or something.

[blue sky at night]

7. BTW........their stupid stickers are............

worthless. I got pulled over in a Cleveland Suburb for doing 11mph over the limit. Usually they have discretion around 10 over, so I asked him to give me a brake as I am a FOP supporter.....NOT!! Fucking Assholes is right.

[JVS]

8. Charity groups like that are exempt from the do not call list stuff

[etherealtruth]

4. Doesn't only a tiny fraction of the donations made to these company's ...

.... actually reach the actual police associations. I would never donate through these groups ----- On the other hand when fire fighters and police officers make the request for donations in person (often standing out in the street outside fire houses...) I can't help but donate.

[JVS]

11. No

Here is how it works. Say the PA state FOP wants to do some fundraising. What they do is contact a telemarketing corporation and set up an office. The FOP pays a certain amount to the telemarketing company for equipment and phone number lists and also pays the wages of the callers. All money that people send in goes straight to the FOP, but from that money they have to pay the costs of running the operation. Even though this may sound like an expensive and difficult way to raise money, it is actually the best way they have found. Even when callers are paid almost $10/hour it is still way cheaper to call people than to send people door to door which is a very inefficient way to reach people. Not to mention that door to door collections are much more prone to fraudulent imitators.

[etherealtruth]

33. I think poster # 5 is a cop ...

The advice given in #5 by southerndem is to NOT donate ... In our community the police and fire fighters don't solicit donations door to door ... (esp. the firefighters) stand at the roadside in uniform, in front of the station with donation "cans" in hand ---- they look so sad (I imagine because they would prefer to not stand at the side of the road...)I can not pass them by w/out donating. In the case of the police they often have little booths set up at fairs and festivals .

[JVS]

35. The issue here is distinguishing between cops as such and cops'...

organizations.

Most of the time police don't fundraise because that's not their job. However organizations that are affiliated with the Police (Fraternal orders etc.) do need to fundraise and will do so. They have found that it is more lucrative to pay people to do telemarketing than it is to have people volunteer to stand by the road.

[SouthernDem2004]

5. Do not give them anything.

I am a Police Officer and I would not give them a cent. Most of the money is kept by the telemarketer and a large precent of the calls are bogus anyway.

[Fla Dem]

42. Agree, watch out for scams.

Saw a news report several years ago, and this kind of solicitation has been identified as mostly a scam. No connection to any real police organization. Try asking them about the communities they serve, they know nothing about your area.

They mostly get their donations from the elderly who are too intimidated to say no.

[Redstone]

6. IMPORTANT: Most of these groups are full of shit, and the cops don't

get even a FRACTION of the money you send them. Ten minutes with Google will get you the whole story.

The cops DO NOT endorse, or even like these people.

Do not send them any money!!!

Redstone

[radwriter0555]

41. That's correct. One time a fella called me, and I said, 'hold on,

Deputy Smith is standing right here, he'd like to talk to you about donating!"

The caller hung up...

These are bogus orgs who do nothing. Our policing agencies don't rely on donations, they rely on your tax dollars and well planned city budgets.

[Sgent]

9. If you really

want to support your police, call the station and ask if they have an association that helps with bulletproof vest purchases or other items that might be needed.

That way you know nearly 100% is going for police use. These associations don't do crap -- all the money goes to the fundraisers.

[theHandpuppet]

37. Thank for the suggestion

That's a great idea.

[Turbineguy]

10. Twice a year

In Washington State they are very nice. It's the Troopers Association and they do welfare and education related stuff. Then they send a "bill" for what you promised to donate. This last time I waited three weeks before sending in the check. Nobody called to remind me or anything. I've never put the sticker on my car to test if you can go 90 and not get a ticket.

I have seen State Troopers help people change flat tires here. It's not in their job description as far as I know.

[ohio_liberal]

23. Those stickers mean absolutely nothing

You'll still get a ticket.

[JVS]

12. You can pledge and not pay, you'll still get the sticker

[MrSlayer]

13. I've received calls many times and never experienced this.

I'm also not "scared shitless" of the police, quite the opposite. I'm not saying this didn't happen to you but to describe this as typical is probably untrue.

[Jara sang]

15. I have heard other people tell me this.

i am not afraid of the police, but there is a large majority of our population that are, and this includes law abiding citizens.

[JitterbugPerfume]

18. caller ID is a wonderful invention

just because the phone rings does not mean I am obligated to answer it

[Blue_In_AK]

14. I get calls from our PD union and the troopers

for donations but they're generally pleasant and don't get too bent when I say no. I usually tell them I'm self-employed and don't have spare cash (the truth) and they say they understand. Maybe we've just got friendlier law enforcement up here.

[JVS]

16. I don't know if it is so much that they are trying to be intimidating...

but rather that telemarketers are told to retain control of the conversation at all times. The pitches are constructed so that at each time when speaking stops the response should be either yes or no. The easiest way to deal with it is just say no and hang up.

[JI7]

17. i'm not sure if it's the same on you are talking about but my parents

always give them money. but i don't think they come across as intimidating.

[skids]

19. Yeah, we get it here.

Last time I got one I asked them if they thought recording my conversation (as their rep said) wasn't a bit intimidating considering they were the police.

The next time they call, I'm going to tell them if they want more money for their department, they should go bust some corrupt politicians.

[FuzzySlippers]

20. These donations never seem to be tax deductible

which makes you wonder how legit these "organizations" are.

[warrens]

21. I met a bunch of these clowns

It's a boiler room operation, and they're total scumbags. They keep about 90 to 95 percent of the money and give a few crumbs to various police organizations (it's always widows and orphans or some crap) who figure it's free money.

I was at my bank one time in Tampa and in the strip mall next door, they were all out having a smoke break and sharing stories about what they told some old lady to get her to cough up money. Like telling her that he saw his best friend, who had four kids, gunned down in a foiled bank robbery.

These guys were the kind of knuckle-dragging creeps who couldn't make it as used car salesmen, and this is the next step down. Rush Limbaugh's core audience of stupid, angry, thuggish white males.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

22. I tell them that they should know that it isn't safe soliciting over

the phone, and if they wish to send me something in the mail, it would be fine. I have never received mail from them!

[emulatorloo]

29. "I am concerned about identity theft, and as law enforcement you are aware

of the problem of giving information to strangers on the phone -- please send me literature if you wish me to donate"

Yep, works for me too. . . .they never send anything.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

31. Ain't it amazing how easy it is? lol! :)

[ohio_liberal]

24. Always, always ask

if the person on the phone is paid to solicit. If they are, don't give them any money.

[catmandu57]

25. We get them every so often

If I answer the phone I tell them I'm a dope sucking hippie and I'm not about to support people who want to lock me up for it, end of conversation.

[RagAss]

26. I do what I always do with telemarketers....

start hitting the dial buttons when they start talking....they end up hanging up....

[Conservativesux]

27. Yes. I tell them I already pay for thier right to pull me over for a seat

belt violation, which is a 4th amendment violation of my rights.

Not one damn penny will I ever spend on these bloodsucking power-mongers!

[yankeedem]

28. I tell them that I pay enough taxes

And that they can shake someone else down for their beer bash. I mean really, I'm going to sponsor a "dinner" for policemen? They get paid enough, thank you. If they don't feel that the community is appreciative enough they can get another job.

And the FOP sticker/badge is legalized extortion.

[Lannes]

30. I got a sticker in the mail from a previous tenant,put in on my car

I got out of several tickets.

Once my registration had lapsed and a cop was about to write me a ticket and leaned over to look at the sticker in my front windshield and let me go.I guess it depends where you live but in Fla those things have bailed me out a few times.

[mbee]

32. Anyone who solicits me except issues for children like Make A Wish

or Special Olympics get a flat out no from me. I always take the opportunity to tell them to get their money from the pugs. They screwed up the economy and now they have to be accountable for it! They hate Liberals, but they love our money!

[lateo]

34. Yes, and one time I told the guy I didn't want to donate and...

He got shitty with me...then hung up.

[theHandpuppet]

36. The ones here in WV are pretty nice folks

And considering the shit wages some of the cops are making here, I wouldn't mind supporting them. You couldn't pay me enough to be a cop around these parts -- I couldn't afford the therapy bills.

[DoYouEverWonder]

38. I usually tell them how bad things are for me

since Bush took power. Business sucks and I just can't afford to give anything to anyone at this point. Maybe if they call me back when we gets the DEMS back in, I might be able to afford something.

[XanaDUer]

39. Yes

and I tell them that I am out of work and cannot afford to give even a dime.

I was at the time, but I don't think I will be rushing to give money now, either.

[leetrisck]

40. I ask them if they would like to talk about bush

and his cuts for police depts across the country

[XanaDUer]

49. Oh, I've been tempted.

Very tempted. But the police where I used to live have the feds watchign them for brutality and I don't want to get on the shit list, if you know what I mean.

[elare]

43. Just put the phone down ..

don't hang up, just put it down & walk away while they ramble through their speech. These calls are almost always long distance ... the caller will eventually hang-up, but in the meantime they've have to pay for a few extra minutes which got them nothing in return. We do it all the time.

[htuttle]

44. They are all scams -- just like the firefighter's associations

If you really want to give money to police or firefighters (over and above your taxes, of course), their local unions probably have some sort of charitable fund you could donate to.

The guys calling you on the phone are boiler room scammers.

[Moosepoop]

45. When they called me last time

I first asked them to send me literature. I then immediately hung up and called the police department to ask if this was legitimate.
The officer on the phone said "absolutely not -- it's a scam." He told me that the organization calling does indeed send a couple of cents for every dollar collected to the police, but only that couple of cents and only for the purpose of remaining barely legal. The rest is pocketed by the organization, which is not endorsed, hired by, or otherwise involved with the police at all. They just use the police as their marketing tool.

This outfit did send me the literature I asked for, then called again for my donation. I informed the caller of my conversation with the police, at which point said caller couldn't get off the phone fast enough. }(

[peekaloo]

46. A cop in Houston told me it's a scam and most people believe that

sticker will give you a free pass on minor traffic violations. He said it's always good for a laugh when he tells a motorist otherwise.

[sendero]

47. These are almost all..

... scams. Many are not affiliated or sanctioned by any law enforcement organization.

That "low voice" crap really pisses me off. I have a low voice myself, and can be quite the ham when I want to be.

I put on my best Joe Friday low voice and say "no thanks" and hang up before they can say another word :)

[LizW]

48. My brother's a state trooper

He says don't give to them.