Iowa’s Attorney General is suing a professional fundraiser the he says claims to raise funds for law enforcement, but keeps a majority of the money. Attorney General Tom Miller says the company collected over 987-thousand dollars in Iowa for the “American Deputies Association”, but Iowa cops saw just 39-hundred dollars of that money. Tim Cox is the president of the Iowa State Sherrifs and Deputies Association, and says people all across the state were contacted by the fundraiser.He says complaints and concerns started coming in to law enforcement offices and they started compiling information and then contacted the Attorney General. The Attorney General says the telemarketers would give people all sorts of false information to get donations — including the idea that stickers they gave out for donations would help people avoid speeding tickets. Cox, who is a deputy in Marion County, says law officers are upset that there legitimate attempts to raise funds are being undermined. He says it’s a case of right or wrong, and the American Deputies Association has been using wrong tatics. The A-G’s lawsuit asks the telemarketer to stop doing business in Iowa and is seeking restitution and fines against the company for fraud. He says, “these are tatics in law enforcement we do not and will not tolerate. The public’s trust is all we have in law enforcement, we earn that trust.” Cox says if you have questions about a fund-raising phone call, check with your local law enforcement agency. He says there are so many organizations out there that it’s hard to know who is legit, but he says if you call your local law enforcement agency they can help you out or check out the call. Cox says local agencies have changed the way they do things because of the fraudlent calls. He says they do all their fundraising by mailing, and he says a lot of agencies do that because it’s easier to be sure the request is legitimate. Cox says you should ask questions, and if the telemarketer won’t give you the answers, then they likely aren’t legitimate. The Attornery General says several other states are also considering suits against the company.
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