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Police Foundations: Don’t My Taxes Pay for That?
Melisa Gracias Palos Park Police Foundation President, continues planning and fundraising for 2024, while working on building partnerships for 21st Century Policing
Gracias said, “Today the operating budgets for most police departments struggle to be competitive to hire the best qualified dedicated officers, and the allocation of salaries and benefits play a big part in that. The dilemma police executives deal with is finding the resources to incubate innovation, keep pace with rapidly changing technology, meet time-sensitive needs, or implement vital new projects."
Our Palos Park Police Foundation works closely with the Palos Park Police Department staff to develop and implement a strategic program to raise awareness and resources that are not readily available through other means, to assist PPPD with:
- Community outreach programs
- Equipment and training to support PPPD operations
- The purchase of personal ballistic vests and safety shields
- Assistance with specialized training for police officers
The role of the Police Foundation is not to displace funding for basic law enforcement or reduce in any way the responsibility of the Village to commit the necessary funding for law enforcement services for its citizens. As law enforcement tasks become more complex, the Palos Park Police Department has increasing needs to stay current in obtaining ongoing officer training, technical equipment and software upgrades.
The volunteer Board of Directors for the Foundation is comprised of hard-working members of the community and business leaders. The Foundation benefits from the board's expert guidance in the fields of marketing, broadcasting, development and finance, which keeps the Foundation on task, within its scope and moving forward.
Police Commissioner Dan Polk said “These community members share a common purpose and similar organizing principles. They promote excellence in our police department by providing resources not otherwise readily available from traditional sources. We have used foundation grants to purchase equipment, provide specialized training, encourage professional development, recognize employee valor, and offer support. The value of a police foundation to public safety can be seen in many different ways.”
We thank our members, people who know the importance of business, philanthropy and government all working together. And we could not achieve our mission without our supporters!
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