Letter From Police Advocacy Group Raises Concern In Hoover

HOOVER, AL — Several Hoover residents have recently received a letter in the mail from a group identifying themselves as Citizens Behind The Badge, a police advocacy group soliciting donations for its cause.

The letter reportedly references the Hoover Police Department, which has raised some concern from the Hoover PD, who issued a statement about the letter Friday.

"Hoover Police Department has not been contacted by this organization, and has no affiliation with this group," Hoover police said in the statement.

Patch contacted Citizens Behind the Badge regarding the letters and what, if any, contact they may have had with the Hoover Police Department.

"We use the Hoover Police Department name in our mailings to your residents because their 'Declaration of Support' is intended to thank their local officers," the organization's CEO Craig W. Floyd told Patch Monday. "We specifically state in our mailings that donations will not be going to their local law enforcement agency; and we do plan to let the Hoover Police Department and other law enforcement agencies know of our survey results and who in their community has signed the 'Declaration of Support' for their officers."

Some concerns expressed by local residents questioned what the organization would do with any monetary donations, which Floyd also addressed.

"I would also like to emphasize that Citizens Behind the Badge has been operated on a purely volunteer basis since its outset, with no salaries being paid to anyone," Floyd said.

Citizens Behind the Badge is a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization formed in 2020.

"Our mission is to put an end to the misguided and disastrous movement to 'defund the police' and to ensure that our law enforcement professionals receive the support and resources needed to keep America safe," Floyd told Patch. "I founded the organization in 2020 after serving for 34 years as the founding CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Under my leadership, two national treasures were created to honor law enforcement’s service and sacrifice: the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial; and the National Law Enforcement Museum. I also take great pride in the fact that the Memorial Fund has been the leader in saving police lives through our 'Destination Zero' law enforcement safety program."

Floyd said the organization uses direct mail as a grassroots fundraising method, hence the letters to Hoover residents

"Like the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and many other nonprofit organizations, we use direct mail as one of the important tools to mount a grassroots law enforcement advocacy and fundraising campaign," Floyd said. "As a relatively new organization (started in September 2020), most law enforcement agencies are not familiar with our work."