A group of telephone solicitors are coaxing Ames area residents into giving contributions supposedly supporting sheriffs and deputies across the state of Iowa by using obnoxious and pushy tactics.

The group, acting under the name of the American Deputy Sheriff’s Association, uses rude and intimating measures to cajole hesitant victims into donating money, said Capt. Gary Foster of the Story County Sheriff’s Office.

“They call and say they’re representing a sheriff’s group, and most of the complaints we have had, the persons doing the calling are professional fund-raisers working for the American Deputy Sheriff’s Association,” he said. “That may be a legitimate organization, although I am not familiar with them, and most of our deputies are not familiar with them.”

When organizations want to solicit in Story County on behalf of the Story County’s Sheriff’s Office, they are required to obtain permission from Story County Sheriff Paul H. Fitzgerald.

“Normally, they come to the office and ask the sheriff’s permission and get a signed letter authorizing them to solicit on our behalf,” Foster said. “The letter that we sign introduces them to the businesses in Story County and [offers] our support.”

Foster added the Story County Sheriff’s Office supports groups such as the Iowa State Sheriff’s and Deputies Association. This association is a statewide organization that works for sheriffs and deputies across the state.

When the solicitors in question call, they are saying the donations will benefit Iowa’s deputies and sheriffs as well as children, Foster said.

“They say it benefits deputies across the state of Iowa, but we don’t know that to be true,” he said. “In checking with the Consumer Protection Division of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, they told us that most of these professional fund-raisers take 80 to 90 percent of the funds for themselves and put 10 to 20 percent to the group they are supporting.”

Bob Brammer, spokesperson for the Attorney’s General Office in Des Moines, said it is legal for someone to ask for donations even if a tiny percentage is going to the cause.

“Under the First Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states can not require that a certain percentage of a contribution go for the charitable purpose. So, in some cases, very little of the contribution may be used for the charitable purpose they are touting or advertising,” he said. “If they give a portion of the money to the cause, it gives them the right to solicit.”

Brammer urged citizens who are approached by a solicitor to have a skeptical attitude because it will “weed them out.” They should also ask the solicitor for written information about the organization.

“It is perilous for them to lie or send out false information; don’t make a donation if they won’t answer your questions or send you stuff,” he said. “You shouldn’t have to put up with rude solicitors — hang up if they do that.”

Foster said the most recent case involved a man who sent a check to the Story County Sheriff’s Office and was subsequently badgered by a telemarketing company to send money to help a child.

“I don’t know what kind of information was provided to the individual, so he assumed it was the Sheriff’s Office that called him, and he thought he was sending his money to the right place,” he said. “Occasionally, we will have a need for money to support a group, but we send people out to business owners to speak with them. We do not call on the phone to solicit money.”

Foster added the Sheriff’s Office is not currently in need of funding.

If problems are encountered, they may be reported to the Story County Sheriff’s Office at 382-6566 or to the Consumer Protection Division of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office in Des Moines at 515-281-5926.