“Fake News” may be a comical topic— until it happens to you. So last week when multiple media online outlets made headlines on the irony of the Ford Foundation giving funds to “Defund the Police” when Ford Motor Company builds the lion’s share of Police Vehicles in the United States. Obviously, this caused a furor on lots of fronts here at Gresham Ford as we sell the Explorer Police Interceptor to many local Police Departments and are proud to do so.
So, to set the record straight: Ford Motor Company and the Ford Foundation are completely separate entities and have operated independently of each other since the mid-1970s. Ford has no control over the Ford Foundation’s grant-making policies or decisions. Ford Motor Company’s current charitable arm is the Ford Motor Company Fund. Who, I might add, has contributed to the Oregon Food Bank for the past several years as well as the Boys and Girls Clubs here in Oregon.
Ford is proud to be America’s long-time leader in producing police, emergency, and first responder vehicles. Our Police Interceptor vehicles are by far the top choice of law enforcement and other emergency services agencies across the country.
To be clear, Ford believes racism, abuse of power, and repression in law enforcement must be addressed and stamped out wherever they exist. Good law enforcement agencies and officers play a critical positive role in our communities, but safety and fairness must be inclusive of all, everywhere.
So contrary to some misinformed stories online, Ford has not provided funding to any campaign to “defund the police”. Rather, through technology and innovation, Ford will continue to play a positive role in promoting more safety and accountability in policing and produce even safer police vehicles. Ford will continue to work closely with local and state police associations across the country for positive solutions. So just one more reason to support local journalism and do not believe everything you read online!