Sheriff’s Foundation provides flexible funding for multiple needs

It’s just a fact of life that often times when there is a problem to be solved, a leader steps forward with a solution.
That appears to be exactly how the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Foundation was given birth.
Mariposa County Sheriff’s Jeremy Briese said that after his first year in office, which he spent stabilizing his department after the Covid pandemic, he decided to move forward with establishing a foundation.
It’s not a new concept. There are financially supportive law enforcement foundations in several jurisdictions throughout the state. But there wasn’t one in Mariposa County. “I thought we were kind of missing an element that could further our community outreach. Something the community could be part of,” Briese explained.
So, on Feb, 24, 2022, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Foundation received notification of its office 501C3 non-profit status.
“We sometimes have big incidents where people want to make contributions, but being a government agency, we can’t accept money. So the foundation bridges a lot of funding gaps,” the sheriff noted.
“Over the years there have been a lot of sheriffs that gave this a passing thought, but Jeremy was the first to actually take the steps to make it happen,” said Codie Hart, president of the foundation. Hart was on the staff of the sheriff’s office for 14 years, serving under former sheriffs Jim Allen, Brian Muller, and Doug Binnewies.
“With more support from the community, we do our jobs better,” Briese stated. “Through the foundation there were a lot of things we could do internally like with staff members who were going through hardship. We could provide community outreach and support in times of need, and give appropriate recognition to those who serve us so well.”
“Nobody calls us when they’re having a great day. Our staff members have to deal with some very negative and sometimes distressing situations. We have staff members that go above and beyond, and one of the reasons we decided to create the annual fundraising event was to spotlight those individuals. We want to recognize them for their outstanding service and put a face with the name for the community,” Briese explained.
“At our Gala event we were able to award a Medal of Valor to Deputy Jose Garcia,” Briese said. Garcia was involved in the shootout with Douglas Popke in August of 2020.
“The foundation allows us to fund things that are outside of the county’s general fund budget so as we grow we hope there is equipment we can acquire to enhance the department and public safety,” the sheriff noted.
“The sheriff is not on the board of directors of the foundation, nor are any members of the sheriff’s office staff. They can come and request funds, but the civilian board makes the decision,” Hart added.
“There are other ways we can interact with the community through the foundation, like the people we supported after the Oak Fire last year,” Briese explained. “We were able to give around $1,600 to homeowners and renters that lost their residences. We wanted to try to help get them back on their feet in some fashion.”
“We have a Corrections deputy fighting for his life against cancer and another deputy’s wife who is battling cancer too,” Briese emotionally detailed. “With the foundation we can not only support them spiritually, but provide them with a little bit of fresh air financially.”
“One other part of the foundation’s mission is to possibly sponsor a scholarship for a graduating student that may be considering a career in law enforcement,” Briese added.
Hart explained that the board consists of 11 community members including Karen Verdugo, Rebecca Hatcher, Bill Bondshu, Ed Marsh, Brandon Hatcher, Lori Law, Kevin Shelton, Pat Wight, Hanna Wackerman, Lou Cordero and himself.
“I would guess our membership roster is somewhere around 100 right now with both individual and business members. Of course one of our primary goals is to grow community membership,” Hart said.
Vice President Brandon Hatcher said, “I’m glad to be part of such a great organization. Being able to give back to our hard working men and women at the sheriff’s department and those in our community is an honor.”
Hart explained that the foundation had done some really good work with the Oak Fire victims as well as supporting deputies facing personal crises.
“We’ve had other minor calls on the funds too. The Deputy Sheriffs Association wanted to purchase patches to recognize breast cancer awareness, and we provided the funds,” Hart noted.
“The thing I don’t think people understand is that when Jeremy (Briese) submits his budget and it’s approved, there’s no room to address new challenges his department might face, outside of his allotted budget. That’s where the foundation comes in. It allows him to beta test new equipment, send staff to special training classes or perhaps cover financial gaps that an academy candidate may have. That’s when the foundation can make a difference,” Hart clarified.
Membership to the foundation starts at the bronze level, which is $35 annually. There are different levels of support explained on the foundation’s website at mariposacfs.org.
If an individual wants to make a donation to the foundation for a specific purpose like assisting a particular officer injured in the line of duty, or directly funding the K9 division or search and rescue divisions, the money will be earmarked and only used for the sheriff’s request for that designation.
If someone has an item that they believe the foundation can put to good use, they may contact the board, which will meet to discuss the item and whether the foundation can accept it.
The board meetings are open to the public and are typically held on the first Monday of each month either at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds or the Sheriff’s office.
With the exception of small administrative costs, 100% of the foundation funds go into either funding the sheriff’s requests or into raising funds for the foundation. According to the foundation’s website, it is the organization’s intention to be completely transparent to the community. All financial records, minutes and governing documents are available on request.
There are no employees of the foundation; it is an all volunteer organization.
To become a member of the foundation, go to mariposacsf.org. The mailing address is P.O. Box 5008-158, Mariposa, CA 95338. There are several levels of participation available.