Newly Formed
Gilroy Police
Foundation
I
n the Spring of 2015, a small group
of Gilroy citizens decided to form the
Gilroy Police Foundation to make
a difference in public safety, according
to police chief Denise Turner. The
new 501(c)3 not-for-profit charitable
organization’s mission is to boost awareness and community
support for Gilroy Police Department’s unmet needs, specifically,
proactive policing.
The foundation’s Board of Directors, led by president Mark
Turner, is staffed by local volunteers. Directors include Rui
Bronze, Mary Donahue, Teri Freedman, JaneHoward, James
Keen, Mike Thompson, and Linda Wieck. They have worked
with Chief Turner and her staff to develop a funding campaign to
support proactive policing. Their efforts will be based upon data
from computer mapping of the city’s crime areas, input from
social media, and the department’s criteria of community safety
success.
Some identified needs include funding another dog for
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Pictured: Teri Freedman, Rui Toste, Jane Howard, Mark Turner,
Mary Donahue, James Keen, Linda Wieck, and Mike Thompson
the K9 unit’s two sworn officers, and purchasing saddles for the
mounted patrol’s horses. A community-pleaser, the horses are
deployed for crowd control at the Garlic Festival and other city
events. The five officers bear most of the expense for the care of the
horses. Other funding projects may include adding dual sport dirt
bikes to patrol the creeks and parks, and adding another night to
the late-night open gym project.
Currently, there is only enough money to open the gym for at-risk
youth one night a week.
All funds raised are tax-deductible, and go 100% to fund the
most pressing unmet local public safety needs, as prioritized by
GPD. The Gilroy Police Foundation’s first gala is scheduled for
April 2016.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015
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