The nonprofit Eugene Police Foundation has been under development for the past year, says John Brown, a Eugene commercial real estate appraiser who is EPF’s board president. The foundation makes its official start Thursday, May 18.

John Kilcullen, father of slain EPD officer Chris Kilcullen is board treasurer. Other EPF board members include state Sen. James Manning, Lee Lashway of Harrang Long Gary Rudnick law firm, and real estate broker Irene Altucker.

EPF will provide financial and communal support when the department needs it, Brown says, rather than dictating what the department should get.

Some of the department’s needs might include new equipment for the K-9 unit and money for officer training, he says.

“If you look at all major communities and municipalities, almost all of them have a foundation to cover some of the things the budgets don’t cover, to improve our quality of policing — both for the police officers but also for the community,” Brown tells Eugene Weekly.

The foundation meets at 5:30 pm the fourth Wednesday of each month at Eugene police headquarters.

Funding for the EPF will come from tax-deductible donations, which can be made online by credit card at EugenePoliceFoundation.org.

“Public safety is very important to me and to the community,” Brown says. “If we are going to have it, let’s do the best we can do as a community.”