Fighting secret slush funds

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Dear *|FNAME|*,

If you’ve ever wondered how police departments get their hands on new, untested, and controversial spy tools, look no further than police foundations.

This week, S.T.O.P. released “Privatizing the Surveillance State,” our report detailing how police foundations undermine rule of law by acting as secret slush funds for dangerous surveillance technologies. This includes predictive policing software, digital surveillance hubs that probe every aspect of our lives, and even robo spy dogs. Nearly every major police department has a police foundation, and more than 75% of police foundations across the nation fund police technologies.

Multiply Your S.T.O.P. Gift 5x!

But our report is just the tip of the iceberg. Without legal requirements to report on their donations or purchases, police foundations take advantage of their charity status to avoid public accountability and create back-channels for corruption. Private philanthropy isn’t the only way can police acquire deadly tools that the public disapproves of – just look at the NYPD’s $3 billion in “special expenses” – but it’s a major loophole that allows departments to build up their surveillance arsenals, without the public or politicians getting any say.

Join S.T.O.P. as we fight to abolish mass surveillance and the foundations that fuel it. While we don’t know where police foundation money is from or where it goes, donations to S.T.O.P. fund our efforts to organize, advocate, educate, and litigate, as we hold powerful police departments and surveillance vendors accountable. And until the end of the month, all donations with be matched 5x thanks to a generous donor!

Join our 5-to-1 match today!

Thanks for your support, this end-of-year and all year round.

In community,
Sam Van Doran
Development Director

Forward

Leticia MurilloDecember 16, 2022