littlesis | As calls to defund the police gain traction, bloated police budgets
are coming under scrutiny for siphoning public resources away from black
and brown communities. While police budgets are typically public
documents that must be approved by elected officials, there are other
institutions in place with the sole purpose of funneling even more
resources toward law enforcement.
Police foundations across the country are partnering with
corporations to raise money to supplement police budgets by funding
programs and purchasing tech and weaponry for law enforcement with
little public oversight. Annual fundraising events and parties like the
St. Paul Police Foundation’s “Blue Nite Gala” and the Chicago Police Foundation’s “True Blue” event are huge moneymakers. The NYC Police Foundation reported that it raised $5.5 million from its annual benefit in 2019.
If police departments already have massive budgets – averaging 20% to 45% of a municipal budget – why do these organizations exist? Police foundations offer a few unique benefits to law enforcement.
First, these foundations can purchase equipment and weapons with
little public input or oversight.
The Houston Police Foundation has an entire page
on its website showcasing the equipment it purchased for the police
department, including SWAT equipment, LRAD sound equipment, and dogs for
the K-9 unit. The Philadelphia Police Foundation purchased long guns, drones, and ballistic helmets. The Atlanta Police Foundation helped fund a major surveillance network of over 12,000 cameras.
In Los Angeles, the police used foundation funding to purchase controversial surveillance software
from Palantir. If the LAPD purchased this technology through its public
budget, it would have been required to hold public meetings and gain
approval from the city council. By having the foundation purchase it for
them, the LAPD was able to bypass that oversight.
Second, these foundations provide a public-private structure wherein
the corporate elite can overtly support police departments through
direct donations, sponsorships, special programs, and by serving as
directors on foundations’ boards. The ongoing protests have emphasized
that police exist to enforce a racist social order that protects
corporations, capital, and buildings rather than black and brown lives.
Police foundations are a key space for orchestrating, normalizing, and
celebrating the collaboration between corporate power and the police.
The corporate interests backing police foundations across the country
cover a wide range of industries. We profile some of these industries
and corporate actors below.
