Expo Is No Charity Case

* The Blue Crew Won’t See Any Green

The Police Expo is calling. Consumers with a charitable bent had better beware.

“Hello, ma’am. I’m calling with the Police Expo. This is a friendly call. How are you?” starts a phone call that is clearly revving up to solicit funds. The caller then continues a pitch that asks consumers to “help us out” by buying at least one $20 ticket.

Although the caller never specifically says the money is going to support putting more police on the street, every effort is made to intimate that you’re helping the boys in blue. However, ask the caller to send information about this solicitation--or provide you with data from their charity information card--and you’ve got them stumped. But they’re eager to send a representative to your door--”with police I.D.”--to pick up your contribution.

In fact, this is not a charity. Nor is this your local police force calling. This is a private company that’s putting on a security show at the Pomona Fairplex next month. The company pays a handful of police associations a fee to use their names as “sponsoring organizations.” (Police associations, incidentally, are membership organizations that help sponsor community programs like Little League baseball teams.)

The fees paid to these police associations are not affected by whether or not you buy a ticket to the Expo, says Jack Terrell, sales manager for the Expo’s sponsor, Craig Sawtelle.

“We are not a charity. We are selling tickets to an event,” Terrell says.

So, if you’re interested in a security show, replete with police dogs and home safety demonstrations, by all means go. But if you want to support your local police, find another way.

* Put teen health series on your fall reading list

Ever wonder why your skin, clear all summer, suddenly breaks out the moment school starts? Are your friends smoking, dieting, using steroids? Wondering whether you should too?

In light of peer pressure season, the Consumer Information Center is launching a four-part series of pamphlets on issues relating to teens and health--from acne to smoking, dieting to steroids.

The steroid information, a reprint of a magazine article written by a college student, may be of particular interest to high school athletes who consider taking drugs--whether traditional steroids or synthetic alternatives--to enhance their athletic prowess.

Some of the highlights: Despite sales pitches to the contrary, GHB--an ingredient in several black-market “performance-enhancing” drugs and drinks--does not make you high. However, it can make you vomit. It can also give you diarrhea, headaches, seizures and nervous-system problems. Meanwhile, more traditional steroids can give you acne and make you impotent or sterile. Women taking steroids can develop male-pattern baldness.

Apparently, these pertinent tidbits of information are not considered selling points and are rarely mentioned by those who advocate steroid use. But if you’d like to do your homework before you swallow, send your name and address to: Teen Health, Pueblo, CO 81009. The four-part series is sent as a set and it’s free.

* Check out the free bank account survey

Recent bank mergers apparently sparked hot competition for checking account customers, says Ken McEldowney, executive director of Consumer Action in San Francisco. A recent survey of 166 financial institutions uncovered 55 that offer free checking, a sharp increase from previous surveys, according to the consumer advocacy group.

Free accounts can’t require minimum balances or charge any fees. But restrictions are common, according to the survey. The most popular: Many banks require that paychecks be deposited directly into your account to get free checking. Others won’t provide canceled checks or will expect customers to use ATM machines for most deposits and withdrawals.

Restrictions aside, free checking can save an average consumer nearly $100 a year. For a free copy of the survey, including the listing of banks that offer free accounts, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Consumer Action-Free Checking, 116 New Montgomery St., Suite 233, San Francisco, CA 94105.

Consumer Checklist is a weekly feature that covers a range of pocketbook issues of interest to Californians. To contribute information about new legislation, products, services or surveys, write to Kathy M. Kristof, Business Section, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053; or e-mail kathy.kristof@latimes.com.