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SCRANTON, Pa. — 'SPD Strong' is the newest motto for supporters of the Scranton Police Department. The rally around its officers began quickly after Detective Kyle Gilmartin was shot.
Justin Butler is the local Fraternal Order of Police President. The organization, made up of active and retired law enforcement officers, will sell new signs to support the Scranton Police Department.
The group posted about the fundraiser on its Facebook page and there is a big interest already.
"My phone hasn't stopped once. They saw the signs on Facebook and the new design. So people are really excited, and they're just waiting to show their support for Scranton Police again," Butler said.
Jitty Joe's Ice Cream in Moosic also jumped in to help. Employees dropped off ice cream for the staff at Geisinger CMC as a thank-you. There will also be a featured menu item, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Detective Gilmartin's family. It was a group effort with ideas from the employees to give back as much as possible.
"Once we heard what condition he was in and what the family needed, we decided we needed to do something to help because anytime we've needed help, they've helped us," said Jitty Joe's employee Sasha Kimble.
"Everybody feels the same way we do. We know that the police are there to protect us and anytime something like this, when they're in need, everybody wants to help," said Gerrity's Supermarket owner Joe Fasula.
Fasula lives and has several stores in Scranton. For at least the next two weeks, people can donate at any of their 10 grocery stores as well as at 5 Gerrity's Ace Hardware stores.
"They can go to the register, they can donate any amount of money. There's no transaction fee, we're not taking any part of it. 100% of the proceeds are gonna go to the family, and we're going to match the first $5,000," said Fasula.
As a police officer, Butler says seeing the community jump in to help has been overwhelming, especially in a day and age where police are scrutinized.
"I welled up with tears when I talk about it. It's really emotional. It's just a great showing of support and that people really do care about police officers," Butler said.
This is just a fraction of the events going on and will be happening as people rally around the Gilmartin family.
There is also an official GoFundMe account to donate to, but pay attention when you donate! The Scranton Police Department is warning people of a potential fraudulent account circulating. A spokesperson for GoFundMe released the following statement, "GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform, and we cooperate with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing. Our team acted quickly to remove the fundraiser and ban this account from using our platform for any future fundraisers. GoFundMe’s Giving Guarantee offers a full refund in the rare case when something isn’t right.”
Click here to get to the official GoFundMe fundraiser hosted by the Scranton/Dunmore FOP Lodge.
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