The Story County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning July 5 that some Iowans have recently reported being solicited by a nonprofit organization called the Association for Police and Sheriffs.

According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, these solicitations do not benefit Story County law enforcement, and it is unlikely they benefit any law enforcement agency, despite the organization’s name.

“We were notified a couple weeks ago by local law enforcement agencies,” said Capt. Barry Thomas of the Story Country Sheriff’s Office.

Thomas said he received one complaint from an Ames resident in the time since the sheriff’s office was first notified.

“We’re still seeking more information,” said Bob Brammer, spokesman for the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. “We’d be interested in knowing what is being told.”

He also said anyone who has received solicitations of this kind should contact the Attorney General’s Office at (888) 777-4590.

“Contact local law enforcement or the Attorney General’s Office,” said Thomas, who said people should have a healthy amount of skepticism.

Law enforcement has been careful in dealing with the issue.

“We try to be proactive,” Thomas said. “We try to prevent people from being victims before solicitations happen.”

Brammer said his advice to anyone receiving solicitations from nonprofit agencies is to ask the caller questions about the organization and how the agency intends to spend the donated money.

“Ask for information in writing,” he said. “Ask how much is going to be used in Ames or in Story County.”

A November 2006 charity report by the Better Business Bureau includes a comment on the organization’s practice of nondisclosure:

“Despite written [Better Business Bureau] Wise Giving Alliance requests in the past year, this organization either has not responded to alliance requests for information or has declined to be evaluated in relation to the alliance’s standards for charity accountability.”

Representatives for the Association of Police and Sheriffs could not be reached at the phone number listed on the organization’s Web site, www.apscares.org, and no other contact information was available.

The Web site features domestic violence statistics and a description of the organization and its intent, as well as a nonspecific list of the types of programs that the organization has supported.

More information, is available on the Web sites of the Iowa Attorney General and Story County Sheriff’s Office.