PHILADELPHIA — In a gesture of gratitude to local law enforcement, the $600 million American Heritage Federal Credit Union has donated $5,000 to a suburban police department for the purchase of Taser guns.
Bruce R. Foulke, president/CEO of American Heritage, said the purchase was a way of showing "we're good neighbors and to thank the Upper Merion Police Department for a great job in the way they handled a very serious robbery at one of our branches."
Foulke praised the agency for its professionalism "by keeping us informed all along the way in what was occurring" in a robbery and bomb threat last April at American Heritage's King of Prussia branch.
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Thanking American Heritage for the guns, Township Police Chief Ron Fonock said the CU's generous donation was the largest ever received from a local business and was a "shining example" of how the police and business can work together.
American Heritage does not look at the donation as any kind of precedent for other law enforcement agencies since "this was a one of a kind event," said Foulke. As is the case across the U.S., law enforcement agencies, he said, often routinely receive token gifts from CUs, banks and corporations.
"We certainly wanted to do more than some $100 gift," he said.
Apart from the Upper Merion donation, he said American Heritage would always consider conventional requests from other suburban departments as they are submitted. American Heritage with 19 branches has 85,000 members in Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery counties
Before deciding on the guns, Foulke said American Heritage had considered buying vision goggles or bulletproof vests for the department's police dogs, but settled on the guns following consultations with Chief Fonock.
Although Tasers have sparked controversy in parts of the country, American Heritage quoting Chief Fonock said the stun weapons are a safer alternative to guns for both police and citizens.
American Heritage said the Upper Merion agency conducted a two-year study to evaluate their safety and to ease liability concerns.
Foulke said the King of Prussia robbery was "particularly nasty, classified as terrorist because of the bomb threat and so it was good police work that they caught the guys" through skilled ID work.
American Heritage, he said, has a long tradition of giving to police agencies including handing out thousands of teddy bears to youngsters traumatized by accidents. The Philadelphia CU, he said, would continue with these kinds of contributions.
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