Unethical charity: California Organization of Police and Sheriffs (COPS)

This is just the tip. Your local cops have the same scam going.

There was an article in the Chronicle saying that the police department was deliberately creating more overtime hours by having police do clerical tasks best done by civilians.

Am I wrong in my understanding that bay area police often earn $80,000/year+? If I have money for charity, I'd rather give it to someone who is unfortunate.

I told the caller from COPS that I do not give money on phone solicitation but would look at their website to see if they were someone I would give money to. Today I looked. They have a donation page and it specifically states that any contribution is NOT tax deductible. Clearly they do not come up to the mark as a 'charity'.
A quick Google search on them, and ignoring all entries which were clearly directly from them, shows only evidence of LOBBYING and POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS. No evidence of charity work.
I am on the 'Do Not Call' set up nationally. There is an exemption for legitimate charities.
If they call me again, I will tell them to put me on their Do Not Call. If they refuse claiming they are a charity, I will tell them they are, by all evidence, a lobbying organization. I will then file the complaint. I suggest anyone else who does not wish to be bothered, do likewise. If enough people do this, action will eventually be taken.

Hey folks, you may approve or not of COPS, but don't confuse them with Civic Development Group, LLC. Google them for a lesson in sleaze. If you want to support COPS, go to their website and donate on-line or send it to their address, listed on their site.

Thanks for having this high up on the search site. I just decline a request from someone claiming to represent COPS who mentioned that "three officers have already been killed in the line of duty this year." Earlier this year I had been contacted by the "Firefighters Defense Fund" on the morning of the tragic fire in South Carolina. FDF was a scam. After putitng down the phone this morning I searched and found your site right away. COPS may be a scam or may just be a lobbying group. If it is a serious lobbying group. they should get that New Jersey sleazebag LLC out of their hair.

COPS' latest tactic is to send letters from their "accounting department" stating that the recipient's telephone "pledge" was recorded on such-and-such a date, apparently as a veiled threat. Senior citizens are sitting ducks for this kind of pressure, as many are ill, hard of hearing or have memory problems, and no idea whether they agreed to a pledge or not. I have been an attorney involved in assisting senior citizens for over 20 years, and in my opinion this is one of the more despicable tactics I have run across.

Regarding comments above regarding police salaries, and the "overtime boondoggle," yes, police salaries are currently obscene. Riding the coat-tails of the September 11 tragedy, police unions and the media have whipped up public support for more funding for police agencies. However, huge amounts of money now go directly into officers' pockets in the form of salary plus overtime. It's not unusual for a California police sergeant with a high school education to make in excess of $ 150,000 per year, with higher ranks making significantly more. The vast majority of these people will never see risk significant to justify these salaries. In my opinion, today the police are just armed thugs using their labor unions to extort money from the cities and counties, until those agencies are forced into bankruptcy. For an example, check out the web regarding the crisis in the City of Vallejo, California, where firemen are making between $ 100-200,000 annually, courtesy of the union, and the city is going into bankruptcy.

I just got off the phone with this organization. They've been calling me relentlessly - and I usually have been able to dodge the call. The very nice woman on the phone told me that all of the funds go to families of Officers killed in the line of duty. Good cause in my book. So I asked them if they are tax-exempt. She said, they're non profit, but not tax exempt. I asked her why they wouldn't be tax exempt. She didn't know, but insisted they did charity work. I told her that I can't donate to an organization if they don't provide me with simple financial category information. I suggested that perhaps they do political lobbying, and that's why. She insisted that they didn't do anything political. When she asked the "supervisor" I was given incomplete info. "It's because of their tax status as a 501(c)". I told her I needed a little more info, since I've been giving a little money to this org for a years. She gave me a toll free number, and a website. On the website it's clear that they are a political lobbying group. I'm sure they support the families of fallen officers, but the thrust of their website was to rally pro-law-enforcement causes. I am pro-law enforcement, but feel misled by the phone calls.

I was lucky. They got me to look at their web site while I was on the phone. So I gave them the $35. Fortunately I used my credit card, and called them back 4 time, and got the card company to get on them. How else can we publisice this scammm?

I too received a call from the COPS organization insisting on a donation for police officers. I insisted to the telemarketer that in no way or shape would I give any money for this organization. A lot of my questions couldn't be answered and I felt the frustration of the caller when I insisted on learning more about them and where the money goes. If you are reading this, please do not give any money to these people.

I was one of the stupid ones to donate some money. After that I keep getting calls even though I told them I don't want to donate anymore. One time I received 2-3 calls in a week. This is ridiculous. I've received a total of maybe 20 calls within a year. I don't even pick up the phone anymore.

If you have been contacted by these telemarketers for this organization, and you are unhappy go to The California Office of Attorney General - Charitable Trusts page and click on the complaint form in the "how to file a complaint against a charity" block on the upper right side of the page.
http://ag.ca.gov/charities/

Those who actually work in the profession are embarassed by this activity.

I too received these calls. I gave them permission to send me information and researched them before contributing. That's how I discovered this page. All of the negative comments about the fundraiser (i.e. Civic Development Group = Civic Development Limited = CDG Management) are basically accurate and the criticism is well deserved.

These organizations (David Keezer, president) have a long history of negativity:

Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1998/03/cdg.shtm
Employees: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/056/RipOff0056847.htm#291805
Concerned citizen groups: http://civicdevelopment.net/

As has been pointed out, COPS receives only about 15% of the total contributions. This figure is consistent from year to year. The AG's site has now posted the 2004 financial reports at http://justice.doj.ca.gov/cfr/cfr.asp (search for California Organization of Police and Sheriffs). This percentage is abyssmal and can be compared to the (much more favorable) percentages attained by other California charities at http://ag.ca.gov/charities/publications/2005cfr/Table_3.pdf

Based on this overabundance of negative experience and facts, I don't believe that I need to say any more about CDG and all of its many affiliates. They are bad news and the stink gets even worse as you check out the various websites and their registrations.

I couldn't dig up any real dirt about COPS itself and I looked. The president, Gregg Passama, is a semi-retired officer from Newark, Ca. The COPS address at 430 N. Vineyard #310 in Ontario, Ca appears to be in a large industrial park. COPS does indeed involve itself quite a bit in politics and its registry of 501(c)(5) means that it is involved with labor unions or agriculture. As long as you don't mind its (somewhat left) political leanings, they appear to make a positive contribution to law enforcement officers with the money that CDG gives them.

Basically, it looks like a case of a possibly well-intended charity making a poor choice regarding its fundraiser. Interestingly, the Fraternal Order of Police uses (or has used) the same bunch of crooks. Go figure.

COPS has been calling me for the past 3 years. I always say I will give money, (seems like a good idea to support those killed or injuried in the line of duty), but I never do, something about my gut instinct tells me not too. They always want my credit card number over the phone and I refuse so they send me my "pledge" in the mail. I am leary of even sending them a check allowing them to see my bank info!

This year, was feeling guity about not sending them a mere $10, so as I begin to write the on-line check, I decided to find a bit more about them. Alas, I discovered this site!! After reading about COPS, I have decided to not send them any money and will ask that they put me on their do not call list. Additionally, I will tell them that I will support my LOCAL Police & Sheriffs!

Thanks to all who post!

i got this call & agreed to a pledge as helping the fallen officers sounded good. After agreeing to the pledge, a few of my co-workders told me about this organization & this web link. Now i dont feel to good about sending them the money. Can they do anything to me (legally) if i dont send the money?

DO NOT give money to this organization, I was once married to a man who ran the "phone room" for C.O.P.S, what a joke. Not only was the money used for his drug habit, little or none of the revuenue actually went to any organization associated with the Police. His name is Frank Crist, of course he never used his real name.

Please forward copies of any and all complaints regardings COPS by email to Tania.Ibanez@doj.ca.gov. You may also send complaints by mail to my attention at State Attorney General's Office, 300 S. Spring Street, Suite 1702, Los Angeles, CA 90013, by fax 213-897-7605 or you may call me and leave a message 213-897-0218. Thanks

I got a call from this group a few years ago because we had a police charity and the guy who called me was quite rude, he made it sound like i was a criminal I was a volunteer making no money I found out later by checking around this guy was making a six figure income with this group. I find their tatics to be monoploy kind of biz like there the only one helping and by how much money they raise and spend on their payroll looks like the workers their are getting a nice fat paycheck to me what a scam they are

Is this organization legit? They telephoned asking for money, and then sent me something in the mail? Thanks, Robert.

I just got off the phone with another guys from this organization who claims they never got my last donation. I made my first donation about three weeks ago. Then about a week ago I received another letter in the mail to make a donation, it was the same letter. So I called the donation hotline and nobody answered, it was the middle of the day. Then I just got a call from some guy saying they never got my donation and wanted "money for the kids" not for the same purpose. So I asked where they were located and he said "part of the city and state would you feel more comfortable with a smaller donation". What's even more strange is that the only webpage that works on the website is the donation page, imagine that. Are these people for real?

Please forward copies of any and all complaints regardings COPS by email to Tania.Ibanez [at] doj.ca.gov. You may also send complaints by mail to my attention at State Attorney General's Office, 300 S. Spring Street, Suite 1702, Los Angeles, CA 90013, by fax 213-897-7605 or you may call me and leave a message 213-897-0218. Thanks

they called me and said the money goes to a fallin officer fund, but they didn't know how much, if any, of the money they raised has actually gone to the fund.

As I used to work for them, I do happen to know that they don't call from New Jersey, they call from West Virginia Mostly, and also, even most of their employees don't know most of these facts, as a matter of fact the people that call are employees of CDG, not CACOP, and therefore they think that is where their pay comes from

haaa I used to be a manager at c.o.p.s.in Clarksburg wv.haaa.when you get a call from c.o.p.s never donate fuk em.we were trained to train the employees to sound loud and assertive to fool people into thinking that you are a police officer etc.
here's there script almost verbatim.
phone rings hsomeone answers hello, you say hello mr/mrs whoever assume that that's them .
yes this is david,i'm calling directly from the california organization of police and sheriffs.thi scall may be recorded for yoru protection.
the california organization of police and sheriffs is conduction there 2008 summer fund drive ...donations help support the law inforcement mentering programs for at risk youth.to pay for the cost of the fund drive and the buckle up for safety campaign to encourage the use of seats belts.
i'll be sending you the new 2008 gold decal please place this gola decal in the rear window or your vehicle to show your proud support of the police.
the donation levels are the gold at 55 the bronze at 35 and the silver at $25 can you be that hero and go for the gold and show your support for this summer fund drive ? most hispanics immagrants will say yes lol. and mind you they do this win sping sum and fall call over and over again.
then they'll say great ! send you over to the validater to try to get a CC payment etc.
btw the callers starting pay is $9.00 an hour plus you get a dam 25 cent raise easy like in no time at all there's people there making 13 -20 an hour to harrass people over the phone feel sorry there rip offs and lobbyist the actual organazation is.look it up see how much money goes to endorse politicians etc.the actual "organizations" that there supposi raising money for only gets about 10% mind you that ten percent is millions so these porr organizations dont care that its only 10 % please do not give 1 penny to the c.o.p.s fuck em

I will never give money to them I would take the same amount of money walk to the police station and give it directly to them as a contribution to them.

Please call me or email me. I would like to get more information regarding your comments.
I can be reached by phone at 213-897-0218 or by email at Tania.Ibanez [at] doj.ca.gov
Thanks

It looks like this is an older report, but I have suddenly been receiving multiple calls from this group in June 2008, with two calls in the last week. Each time, it has been telemarketers reading from the script about officers who have been killed in the line of duty, and they don't seem to be able to clarify how much money actually goes to the charity or anything else. Is it true that they are exempt from the do-not-call list?

Like the person above, I'd rather pick a group where I can watch what they are doing with money. There are a lot of alternatives in each local area.

One Question kind of stands out Why is the Attorney General on here asking people to call and it sounds like she is looking for a investagation? doesnt the Attorney General has the yearly numbers for this Charity? it almost appears like they are hunting and I dont know if this is legal what this person is doing, anyone can come on here and make crazy statements........

I just received a phone call from this organization and they harassed me when I asked to be put on the do not call list. How can I send a complaint against them?

I received a call from them on 07-08-08. While talking to them I looked up this webside and read to the caller what is written. He had no response and, after asking several more times for a donation, hung up.

Why of course I did not know what to say when brien stone started spouting these numbers from 2003.
and I did ask him where he got this information an then he became vague, all over your web site .
well I had to look for my self and loah and behold there the is Mister Do you people think your the only ones,wake up its going on allover the world and personally I wish I could help out my state and county organizations every time they called!
well I do not know why, but when you type in the CAlifornia Organization of Police and Sheriff's now you will not find this
unethical charity article or this site four headings down from thee ORGANIIZZZATION's.
P.S old girl talking about the organization's site is a lier the contribution page is still under construction

So, I've been donating to COPS for about a year; but, I stopped after checking out this site.

Before I jump to any conclusions, can someone please verify this. (Is COPS really recognized as a NON-profit organization by the IRS?)

The donation slip up there is from COPS (California Organization of Police and Sheriffs). It claims that the IRS recognizes COPS as a NON-profit organization.

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It's true they make themselves sound like police officers. Every time I talked to them, I thought they were police officers and I imagine them with their blue uniforms and badges sitting in an office. I didn't want to talk to them yesterday when my sister answered the phone;but, when my sister asked "Who are you?" the guy said COPS, and my sister said "the cops are calling you." I was confused, I thought they were police officers doing fundraising. Anyway, my guts told me to research them and here I am.

The law should require this organization to:
1. state clearly and specfically that they are a for-profit fundraiser/charity and not the police.
2. state the % of the donation that actually goes to the cause.

Oh please look at this carefully. Are they lying?

Mr Scammed, no it looks like they are a 501c 5 non profit it says it isnt tax exempt on the letter head you have shown so I guess they are not.A 501 c 3 status which is tax exempt I hope this helps. A annual report from this charity can help you fiq out how much is spent on programs to help the COPS I hope that helps also, if it means anything I dont believe you were scammed its the High Fund Rasing costs that hurt Charitys and you would be shocked to know how many Charities use them....Good day Friend

To whom it may concern,

My name is Pat XXXX and I was called by a nice man about 1 month ago who asked for a contribution to your organization. At the time I was working and said the I was interested in helping your organization COPS and that I would consider sending $20. Since then I've lost my job and haven't been able to send the money. I have been called almost daily - my phone says - "Outside the Area" . Nobody is on the line when I or my wife pick up and it has been extremely irritating. Today 8/2/08 at 12:48 I was called by a young man who told me we were on a recorded line. I explained to him that I was not currently working and could not pay the $20 and that I did not want your organization to call me again. He kept on talking over me so I asked to him to please stop talking and once again not to call me again. He was extremely rude to me and told to not tell him what to do and that they (you) would call me as much as you liked ? I couldn't believe this guy and asked to speak with his supervisor. He told me to hang up for some reason and said that I could screw myself or something along those lines. The last thing he said was "I just put you down for an additional $10 contribution"! I was and am flabbergasted that you have someone of that caliber working for your organization. I called the number on the paperwork you sent me and talked with a women who didn't apologize for the previous call and asked me to call back tomorrow. When I asked to speak with a supervisor to explain what happened again she said that it takes 24 hours for the info to be recorded or something and for me to just call back tomorrow. She didn't want to take a message but reluctantly did after about a minute.

I am not impressed with your organization to say the least !!!! I would appreciate a call from you or a senior member of your staff that can listen to that call and tell me what you are going to do about it. I was in media up until a few weeks ago and will contact a few choice people and tell them of my experience if I do not hear from you by Wednesday Aug 6h.

Good day ~

Pat XXXXX

Pat 8/2/08 please contact me directly regarding your recent complaint against COPS.

Anyone who has a complaint regarding COPS may contact me directly at 213-897-0218 or by email at Tania.Ibanez [at] doj.ca.gov. You can also submit a written complaint by mail to the Registry of Charitable Trusts, Office of the Attorney General, P.O. Box 903447, Sacramento, CA 94203-4470 or by fax at (916) 444-3651. We have a form CT-9 (1-99) which you can fill out and obtain from our website http://ag/ca.gov/charities/forms.

For those of you who have already submitted a complaint to our office, thanks for your cooperation.

There are many types of tax-exempt orgs in addition to charities, including unions and social clubs. The IRS tax code section 501 defines the type of exempt organization it is. This happens to be a 501(c)(5) - which includes Labor, Agricultural, and Horticultural Organizations. Only donations to charities - 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations are tax deductible. You can look up COPS at
<a href="url">http://www.guidestar.org where you can download and peruse their IRS tax returns - Form 990 for tax exempt organizations for the past decade or so.

Whether or not you want to donate to a Labor, Agricultural, and Horticultural Organization is up to you - but the fact that your deduction isn't tax deductible does NOT mean that they aren't tax-exempt, it only means that they aren't a recognized charity that is exempt under code section 501(c)(3).

Has anyone paid attention to the many hundreds of thousands of dollars that COPS spent on defending several Kern County Deputy Sheriffs being charged with murder. Or the many thousands of hours the staff (mostly retired Police Officers) spends on representing/defending/assisting and fighting for the rights of Police Officers against frivolous law suits!

The question to ask is "how much money does the organization spend on providing services"

California Organzation of police and sheriff endorses Jerry Brown? but there is a attorney general on here wanting imfo on this charity? sounds funny to me that the AG is on here looking for a case and Cops is supporting The AGs boss.......

I see that there are many people insulted by the CACOP orginization. I used to work for that company and let me tell you all that these claims are TRUE. Like stated in the preceding aritcles, they want you to think that they are police, intimidate you or make you think that if you dontate, the cops will give you a break. Bull shit. Also like stated, about 15% goes to charity. They are not exactly what you would call a scam but close to it. DONT DONATE. This company is out for their own profits and solicit people 8:00 am on Sundays.

There not a scam they use Paid Fundrasiers its not against the Law to use them and what I what I want to know is why The Attorny general is on here looking to build a case when this Org supports their Boss, so it sounds like a smoke screen to me. The Attorny Genreal isnt going to do anything about this Charity they havent broken any laws, silly waste of taxpayers money for The AG

The Attorney General should do her job, no matter who her boss is in bed with! Just 'cause they might support her boss doesn't give her a good reason not to look into scam artists.

I personally dont really agree, what is being done are the peoples job. Dont hate on those who are trying to make a living.

COPS chose Civic Development Group to raise funds on their behalf. They ignored the fact that CDG has a long history of violating laws and common sense ethics when fundraising. CDG has been sued twice by the FTC and many times by several state AG's. It is absolutely ridiculous that CDG is allowed to continue misleading seniors and others in the name of law enforcment, veterans, and cancer charities. If you give, stop. Give to worthwhile local groups. Research your charity at the American Institute of Philanthropy's website, http://www.charitywatch.org. The latest case against CDG by the Federal Trade Commission centers on the "Professional Management Consultant Agreement. According to the FTC, CDG call center employees have been claiming that 100% of funds raised on their behalf actually goes to the charity. Check out the FTC case at http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/c3810/070921cmpc3810.pdf. If you want the FTC to follow through on this case, please file a complaint at http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/. To learn more about CDG, check out http://www.civicdevelopment.net.

I understand The FTC involvement with this and others I hope that out of this that if laws need to be made to have these for profit paid solictors get a certain less part of the donations or a flat rate of the overall amount raised then so be it. I think then Charities that use paid Fund Raisers will get a larger amount of the call and will not be under so much pressure from the AG and others and can help as many desevrving people as possible. The flip side of thought also dont people who offer this service of calling thousands of people a week employ people, pay salaries, commissions, rent, phone charges, lights, insurance, legal fees, and taxes on what they raise. Cant companies make a profit? I think you have to be very fair here Im not saying lie, cheat to get funds do it the right way but make it right for everyone involved.

My 86 yr old lady friend who is legally blind has been donating for years because she was being harassed & urged to donate EVERY month! I was helping her pay her bills since she really can't sign checks anymore & I questioned this org.. Thanks everyone for your comments. I'm writing them a note on their return stub to stop calling this poor lady & back off. I'm also calling the attny. gnrl. ofc attn. Tania Ibanez as noted on one of the comments. My friend said they were so rude & persistent she was tired of arguing with them & would just mail the money to avoid more calls. What a bunch of crooks! They keep the biggest slice of the pie.

I originally pledged some money when they called but after checking out this web site I decided to keep my money. When they called today asking about my pledge, I politely stated to the caller that "after some investigation, I've decided not to send in my pledge and I wish to be placed on the NO CALL LIST". Surprisingly, the caller said "ok" and hung up. Only time will tell if this works, it should. Thanks for the web site. I gave to this organization last year but never really felt quite right about it. Should have gone with my gut on this one.

I used to work at one of their call centers in Morgantown, West Virginia (I think they also have call centers in Texas and Virginia). Most people working the phones there don't really know much about the organization. When I was there, they were strict about following the FTC rules or you could be fired. You had to read the script on the computer screen, stating your name and that you worked directly for the California Organization of Police and Sheriffs. I never said I was a cop, but some people assumed I was. The callers who were most successful were the elderly men (who sounded like old cops). Sometimes I would call someone who spoke broken English and they seemed more likely to donate because they didn't understand that it wasn't required and thought I was from the local police dept (even though I never said that). Most of the money the organization raises goes right back into the the call centers, which are expensive to run. If you get one donation ever 20 calls, you are doing good. Also, our name list was really bad so a lot of times I would greet whoever answered the phone with the wrong name, which made them suspicious. Even though it wasn't a scam, I found it odd how easy it was to get people to give their credit card numbers over the phone, with no way to verify who I really was. Something else you should know about charities that raise money over the phone--if you ever donate, you will go on a special list that they sell to other charities. Then you will get a lot more calls. If you get a call from COPS, you have to say no 3 times (the caller is counting), then they will leave you alone. Also, ask to be removed from their list and they will do it. If you just hang up, they will probably call back again. And if you make up an excuse about being busy, they will call back again. Eventually I got tired of the job and felt guilty about taking people's money for an unworthy cause, so i got a different job. With the "do not call lists", a lot of companies that used to do telemarketing are switching to "charity" work to stay in business.

person who gave 145 dollars less than a month and a half ago...

we have the gold this year at 159 or the smaller silver at 149
(no joke, i just read the screen) ;P

Wow... glad I decided to spend a few minutes doing a Google on this org! I have pretty-much blindly written $35 checks to these people for years (along with a few other police orgs.) I feel that peace officers do have a huge burden in our society (especially in the Bay Area,) and these types of organizations help the officers and their families.

But I will find better-run orgs to give my money. No point in letting CDG taking nearly $30 of my pledge.

I just tore up my pledge form and will gladly tell them to buzz-off next time they call.

Michael

I'm so glad I found this. Thank you!
I just tore up my check.

This is one of the reasons I love the internet!
Thanks for taking the time to not only post, but detail and support your reasons for doing so.
More people should be aware of these 'scammers-lite' and how exactly they get around the rules.
Please keep posting and taking the time to create awareness.
Everyone should have access to all the information they need to make an informed decision.

glad to find this information as donations to this group and similar firefighter-related orgs has resulted in many, many calls to my home. I will find a way to donate directly to local firefighters and police departments as I greatly value their difficult jobs.

The small print on the donation reply slip caught my eye, and the fact that these donations are NOT tax deductible led me to the internet to investigate what this was all about. Needless to say I will not be returning a check this time, and will ask to be removed from their list in the future. Rip off!

Nothing will happen to this charity it has the right people in their pocket I know of 4 Charitys that are doing much more then these guys and are in Ca and they are being ran out of the business it is truly not what you know its who you know here in Ca

Thanks for posting this information. I was skeptical when I received the call, but didn't want to get on a non-donor list if it really was a police agency. I asked them to mail their information to me and will send it back with the note, "please add me to your DO NOT CALL list".

Dear MR Attorney General,

Product or service: donation
Dollar amount in dispute: $35
No contract signed!
I have emailed them and told them I cannot make my contribution of $35 because I received my last pay check in the first week of April.

They have been calling me 3 times a day: Morning, Noon and Night!! They just called me at 3 PM PT and I told them what I have written above. they hung up on me!! My name and number is on a federal do not call list!

Resolution: I don't not want them ever calling me or writing me again!! They are a disgrace to real police (my brother) and sheriffs! My son wants to be a State policeman when he gets out of the Marines and comes back from IRAQ! If you can't stop them maybe he will. COPS to me stands for the CA Org of Prostitutes and Sluts!

Charles Bertram
cc COPS

I don't have any idea how they got my credit card number with the wrong last name,
I asked them to take me off the no call list and stated since it was a charity they do not have to comply till I threaten to call the attorney general then they said it's ok.

My calls to this charity has gotten me no where why they keep callin my 87 years old grandma and asking for money every 3 weeks and sure the AG going to do something right? wrong look at who this charity has as sponsors and people posing with them in pictures. The Gov Arnold Feinstein nothing will happen to them attorney general Jerry Brown has a endorsement by them for God sake yeah right like Liberal Left winged Jerry going to axe any support come on

You are wasting your time the Attorney General will do nothing against this so called Charity nothing its alligned with Jerry Brown AG DICTATOR and Liberal and several other Demo-Libs in California this is the do nothing state to major labby people for the right price wink wink

Thanks for the website usable to check the legitimacy of organizations.

Jerry Brown The Attorney General is going to annouce some charges civil I guess against some people or business, with respect to FTC Operation False Charity I really wonder if this California Organzation of Police and Sheriff is REALLY going to be fined, due to the fact their President makes a very large amount of money and they use high pressure Paid Fundrasiers who do some unkind things like debt peoples accounts, call 80 year olds repeatedly or as reported by others will get a pass because of all of the endorsements this so-called Charity does and Lobbies for Liberal nut jobs like Brown, Feinstein who can be bought for a price. I laugh when I see a AG spokeshole trolling here looking for help Tania......yeah right like you are going to go against your Boss Mr Brown really wheres the barf bag.................California 21 BILLION in debt and again wasteing tax peoples dollars and lookin the other way on "Friends" who help them in the campaigns..........

http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/release.php?id=1742

On May 29, 2009, The California State Attorney General's Office sued COPS and it's fundraiser Civic Development Group.

Wow really lets see if this Charity gets their friends to help them out which they will in other news important news since we have watch dog groups already in place. Summer school cancelled hundreds of thousands of jobs lost in Cauliflornia.....thanks to the Terminator.....and the AG is under staffed and should be going for bad guys there is more to this then the public knows

Since when did COPS become a liberal lobbying group? I didn't know gay marriage, health care reform, and medical marijuana were so important to them. According to Harper's Magazine, CDG's favorite politicians are George W. Bush and Rudolph Giuliani, hardly bleeding hearts. CDG and COPS are wasting tens of millions of dollars on fundraising, conferences and ridiculous luxury items for millionaires. CDG owner David Keezer recently bought a $7.35 million dollar mansion in Boca Raton, paid for with money charitable Americans thought was going to famlies of fallen officers.

Every year CDG misleads charitable Americans into donating hundreds of millions of dollars to bogus charities like COPS and the IUPA (International Union of Police Association). If donors knew the truth, they would look to more worthy local charities to contribute. Ultimately, legislators need to pass stricter laws regulating professional fundraisers like CDG. Most of these badge fraud schemes would collapse if the powers that be would simply forbid professional fundraisers from soliciting residents on the Federal Do Not Call List. Currently, professional fundraisers are exempt. In addition, laws should be passed requiring professional fundraisers to disclose the percentage of donations used for fundraising and the percentage used for program services. Until these laws are passed, we have the FTC and State Attorneys General to enforce the current laws to the best of their ability. So far, the largest settlement against CDG was $400,000 won by VT Attorney General William Sorrell in 2001. In that case, CDG misled VT donors to believe their donations were helping cancer patients with life-saving medication. In fact, the only medication ever purchased for these patients was ibuprofen. Let's hope the latest FTC case, or the CA AG's break VT's record. Progress is slow, but CDG is America's largest professional fundraiser and they are struggling, closing more offices every month.

Good job California!!! Please pay attention Mr. Cuomo, CDG is STILL the NYFOP's fundraiser too. Remember Elliot Spitzer's Pennies for Charity Report! To learn more, visit http://www.civicdevelopment.net.

okay, i have worked for Civic Development Group 4 separate times since 1998. CDG used to have a call center in the Rosebud Plaza, Clarksburg, WV, which has been shut down within the past couple of years (or at least that's when i noticed the building being empty). very rarely did we call within our own state (i remember just a couple of times that we called for the WV state police). the last time i worked there, or maybe two times, CDG had been contracted by COPS, and we only called for that organization. the job sucked, but it was easy for me to do, and they started you at $1-2 more on the hour than most other jobs around here (which was still only $9/hr back in 04.. stuff's cheap in WV though).

the first time i worked there (~1998-1999) was a high school job doing phone solicitation for various law enforcement, firefighter, and veteran groups. like i said, none of these organizations were in my state and they were not tax deductible. from memory, we used to call for the [city name] Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), generic fire fighter organizations (not the IAFF), and others. these groups typically would keep 60-90% of the profit (much of which went to pay for the call contracts and mailing materials).

at some point, CDG got the contract with the California Organization of Police and Sheriffs. i worked there two times after that happened (each time i only lasted 6 months at the most... the job really sucks). for me, the caller, this was better than bouncing from list to list, cops to firefighters, etc.

i guess i should cover the call center itself as well. its just a big room with crappy old monitors w/ green screens, keyboards, and a headset, in isles of 4' wide cubicles. each row had roughly 25 computers/seats, and there were a total of 8 single rows. only half of the office space was being used.

the calling is all done via computer dialing system. the computer system loads a list of numbers and begins dialing away. when a person picks up their ringing phone, the computer listens for a voice. when it detects a voice, it connects the call to a person at a cubical. when setting at the cubical waiting for a call (which come pretty damn rapidly), the screen will be showing your stats (sales vs room avg, etc), then you will hear a beep on the headset. the standard script pops up, with an individual's name and address in the appropriate fields. the screen is always the same scripts, except for the persons info.

you began the call, reading from the script (at least loosely). each of the three walls of your cubical are lined with large-font printed "rebuttals" for nearly any reason a person has for not giving. so when you get half way through screen #1 (of 4), and the person interrupts saying, "you know, i just dont have the money to give right now because...", you are trained to let them finish what they have to say, then choose the proper rebuttal and immediately continue with the pitch. the rebuttal usually goes something like this: "mr X, i understand your situation, and a lot of people are in that position (and throw in "esp this time of the year" if its near holidays), so i'll tell you what, instead of going for one of the top spots at $35 or $25, i'll get you involved with the program is year for just $15. it might not seem like much, but it really does help make a difference." they reply by saying that they still cant afford it. i respond with "thats perfectly alright mr. X, like i said, a lot of people are having a hard time financially right now, so instead of the $15, i can go ahead and get you involved today for the smallest pledge we have of just $10. now usually this is reserved for seniors, but since everyone is hurting right now, they've authorized me to let anyone get involved at this level. even though its not much, it really does help out, and of course, you still get the brand new [year] COPS decal that you can display to show your support for those fine officers out there!"

that's a bit of my own flavor added to the script, because if you just read it, its pretty bland. and like i said, i was good at the job, so i could add a little here and there, and they wouldnt get on my case about it. people who werent very good salesmen had to stay scripted though.

so anyway, if you bite, i verify the name and address, then transfer you to the "mailing dept". the reason i verify the info first is in case you get cold feet, and decide to hang up before getting the "pledge kit" in the mail to you. that way they can call you back, or at least have your most current data for the next call list to be compiled. the "mailing dept" consists of a few people at the end of each row of cubicles which are logged into a different computer program. they are in the same room as the callers, and there is no packaging or mailing that gets done from the call center.

so that's pretty much the process. if you take a pledge kit, but dont return it by the deadline, they put you on an 'unpaid' list, which we would occasionally call. again, if they cant afford the pledge they made, rebuttal and drop the amount. the last thing they want you to do is totally loose a pledge, especially after they'd spent the money to mail them stuff. in actuality, if you dont pay up, the only thing they can do is keep calling you.

like others have said, the organization is not 501C3 tax deductible, which makes it questionable in itself. but the deception goes further than that. when they train the callers, they briefly go over the organization and its programs. the script claims that donations help "buckle up for safety campaigns, scholarships for children, youth mentoring by officers", etc. the computer script has a Q&A section that covers most basic questions with shallow, misleading answers. if a person asks something that's not in the script or Q&A, you are trained to refer them to the COPS website. however, they never show you the web site, so when you refer a person to it, you have no idea what they will see.

so after being asked about 'where on the site?' several times, plus several people claimed that they wouldnt support the COPS due to the COPS supporting of politicians that they didnt like. there was NO mention of any political intermingling at the call center or in the script. i took it upon myself to check out the site and organization. i figured that i should at least be informed on the subject, right?

turns out that the buckle up for safety campaign is actually for dui/seatbelt checkpoints (which is dirty pool in my book), the scholarships where only for "member officers' children", and the mentoring was only for youth which want to grow up to be police officers. there were a few other programs we pitched on the phone that turned out to be very different in reality. then a quick google search yielded countless news articles about the COPS donating thousands of dollars to various politicians.

personally, since i dont live in CA, i dont know whether i would support those politicians that the COPS had chosen to back, but just on principle, this organization was starting to stink. after paying everyone, they only grossed 20% of the donations, if that. most went to pay call centers (they had more than just that one also), politicians, police kids' tuition, etc. they basically lied to the callers by training them with a bunch of BS and half-truths. so most of these callers (including myself) actually believed they were calling for a good organization... for a decent cause. boy was i wrong!

the best thing to do is to not give them any info that they can use to update their records, and tell them to take you off the list, and that you want PROOF IN WRITING of them doing so. by law they have to mail you a letter verifying that it was done. keep the letter in your records, and if they ever call your number again, you can file suit on them.

quick google search yielded this article: (explains why the building is empty!)

http://www.nynp.biz/breaking-news/2272-civic-development-group-to-pay-19-million-fine-a-end-telephone-fundraising

Thursday, 01 April 2010 09:57

"Civic Development Group, LLC, a New Jersey-based telephone fundraising firm with a long history of run-ins with regulatory agencies, will be paying an $18.8 million fine and leaving the charitable fundraising business as part of an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission.

The settlement comes in response to charges that the company and its owners violated an FTC order by misleading consumers to believe that they were donating directly to legitimate charities serving police, firefighters, and veterans, when in fact only a small slice of the donations actually went to these charities. The civil penalty against Civic Development Group, LLC; CDG Management LLC; and owners Scott Pasch and David Keezer is the largest ever in an FTC consumer protection case.

“This scheme packed a one-two punch: it deceived the people who donated, and it siphoned much-needed funds from police, firefighters, and veterans groups,” said David Vladeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The court’s final settlement order packs a one-two punch of its own: a record-breaking financial penalty for violating an FTC order and a lifetime ban on soliciting charitable donations.”

In addition to its national fundraising activities, Civic Development Group had had a long and lucrative relationship with several New York State entities, including the Fraternal Order of Police Empire State Lodge and the New York Association of PBAs During the 11-year period from 1995, Civic Development Group raised over $40 million in contributions for the Fraternal Order of Police Empire State Lodge, of which almost $33 million was kept by the company in fundraising fees. In recent years, the company had reduced its fundraising activities in New York State.

Company owners Pasch and Keezer will be paying a personal price as part of the settlement, according the FTC. Pasch will turn over a $2 million home; paintings by Picasso and Van Gogh valued collectively at $1.4 million; a guitar collection valued at $800,000; $270,000 in proceeds from a recently sold wine collection; jewelry valued at $117,000; three Mercedes, a Bentley, and various other assets. Keezer will turn over a $2 million home, a Range Rover, a Cadillac Escalade, and a Bentley, among other assets.

The most recent case is far from the first time that the company has faced legal problems. The FTC first sued Civic Development Group in 1998, charging that telemarketers working for the company’s corporate predecessor misled consumers by falsely claiming that their donations would be used locally to buy bullet-proof vests and provide death benefits for deceased officers’ surviving family members. In 2007, the Department of Justice filed a second complaint referred by the FTC, which alleged that the defendants had violated the prior FTC order."

Scroll up to see my comments. I helped Deputy Attorney General with this case. I’m trying to contact her for an interview . Please reach out Tania Ibanez if you see this . ❤️ Great job w the case !