The stories are heartbreaking. New Orleans, the surrounding communities, large portions of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and coastal Alabama have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding.
Law enforcement officers who live and work in these areas need your help. Many of them are still on the job with limited resources, while their families are living in shelters. Others are working, even though they have lost many friends and loved ones to the disaster.
Police Magazine urges you to do whatever you can to help your fellow officers in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama that were affected by Hurricane Katrina.
You can send a donation to one of these funds that has been specifically established to help your fellow officers.
International Union of Police Associations (IUPA) Law Enforcement Disaster Relief Fund
http://www.iupa.org/katrina.html
For the near future, IUPA is dedicating its Law Enforcement Disaster Relief Fund to helping officers and the families of officers affected by Hurricane Katrina. IUPA says that all money contributed will be paid out, and that it will not take any administrative fees. All donations to this fund are tax deductible.
National Association of Police Officers (NAPO) Relief Fund
http://www.napo.org/Relief_Fund.htm
This is a fund that was established in 2002 specifically for law enforcement officers who have experienced catastrophic loss from events such as hurricanes. NAPO says that all money donated to this fund will be sent to officers and the families of officers affected by Katrina. No administrative fees will be deducted. Donations to this fund are tax deductible.
Note: The Department of Homeland Security has asked officers not to go to the affected areas without being dispatched. You can read the DHS memorandum at this link: http://www.napo.org/pr/DHSMemo.pdf.
