In return to work, Duncan takes aim at fundraising group

Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Charlie Shoemaker⁄The Gazette In one of his first appearances after seeking treatment for depression, County Executive Douglas M. Duncan appeared with superintendent Jerry D. Weast on the first day of school.

The group used a Bethesda office building as its address, but the address was just a mail drop and donations were forwarded to California, Texas and Florida, said Eric Friedman, acting director of the county’s Office of Consumer Protection.

Duncan held a news conference in front of the building at 6701 Democracy Blvd. that the group had listed as its address.

The news conference was one of several events this week that showed Duncan back in action after taking a leave of absence in June and ending his gubernatorial bid to seek treatment for clinical depression.

On Monday, Duncan appeared at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda and Highland Elementary in Wheaton to welcome students to the new school year. On Tuesday he also attended the opening of the Montgomery College Student Services Center in Takoma Park.

However, Duncan will be out of office for three to six weeks after he goes in for hip replacement surgery next week.

The Police Protective Fund operates as a charity, claiming to provide money to the families of officers killed in the line of duty and to provide online training to police officers.

However, according to records filed with the Maryland Secretary of State’s Office, the Police Protective Fund spent 91 percent of the money raised on paying salaries to its two employees and on fundraising costs and just 9 percent to fund programs.

The Police Protective Fund listed $4.4 million in charitable contributions in 2004 with $4.04 million going to management and fundraising.

Don’t be scammed For more information on avoiding charity scams, visit the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection at www. montgomerycountymd.gov⁄ consumer or call 240-777-3636.

Charities should spend less than 35 percent of its donations on fundraising and administrative expenses, Friedman said.

But the Police Protective Fund could be operating legally, Friedman said. The question becomes whether the group’s misrepresented where the money goes to potential donors, he said.

Duncan requested that the state Attorney General’s Office investigate the organization. He also said that if the group is operating legally, the state should enact legislation to ban such organizations.

A woman who called back in response to messages left on the Police Protective Fund’s answering machine declined to answer questions until after she read the news release on the group put out by the county. She and other company officials did not call back, however.

The group used the Bethesda address and even routed calls from telephone marketers so that a 301 area code number would appear on phones with caller identification so that potential donors would believe the group was locally based, Duncan said.

‘‘We’ve uncovered no evidence that a single cent raised here went to a Montgomery County police officer,” Duncan said.

The Police Protective Fund has operated for years under the radar and only came to the county’s Office of Consumer Protection in July when county employees also received telephone solicitations from the group, which followed up with mailing fliers to them, Friedman said. County officials did not know how many county residents had given to the group, which sought donations nationally as well.

County Police Officer Denise Gill, a Fraternal Order of Police steward, said that the Police Protective Fund ‘‘scam” hurts legitimate police fundraisers such as those conducted by the FOP.

‘‘If anyone ever has questions about our fundraisers, they can call us,” Gill said.