Over the past two months, several county residents, including Sheriff Hofmann, had complained about misleading phone solicitations from the local Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 108.

On Tuesday, Zachary House, the vice president of FOP Lodge 108, issued a formal apology to all Queen Anne's County residents.

"We would like to apologize for any confusion the phone solicitors might have caused," he said in a statement that was published on the county Sheriff's Web site. "At this time the phone calls soliciting donations have been suspended until the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 108 can meet with the department heads (and) supervisors to create a proper verbiage that clearly identifies them as solicitors and not law enforcement."

The suspension came one day after a telemarketer called Sheriff Hofmann's home in the evening hours. The caller identified himself as someone calling on behalf of the county sheriff's department. But the sheriff knew the caller was lying.

After a few moments, the sheriff began questioning the caller, but the confusion and deception continued.

"I asked him where the money goes," Sheriff Hofmann said. "And he said 100 percent of my donation went to Lodge 108."

However, the caller did not tell the sheriff that only 30 percent of his donation would support FOP Lodge 108, while the other 70 percent would cover the cost of the phone solicitation service.

The solicitor also told the sheriff he was calling from the local Centreville lodge. But Sheriff Hofmann knew there wasn't any way he could be calling from there because there isn't a lodge.

"They share a space at the American Legion Post," he said. "It was obvious that the guy calling was not from Centreville."

While the FOP Lodge 108 has suspended all donations through its telemarketing service, county residents can still mail donations directly to the organization. If a contribution is mailed, the entire donation will support the fraternal order.

For those who have already made a contribution over the phone with a solicitor, Mr. House said they can request a stop-payment on their current donation and reissue a new check through the mail.

The Fraternal Order of Police is a nonprofit organization separate from any particular law enforcement agency. FOP Lodge 108 includes members of the Centerville Police Department and Deputy Sheriff's Office, but it does not directly represent either agency.

Like most Maryland fraternal orders, FOP Lodge 108 raises money for community programs, local scholarships and families of officers killed in the line of duty. This year they decided to use a telemarketing service to solicit donations.

In mid-June, the Centreville fraternal order hired a New Jersey-based company, C.S.G., to do fundraising. Just days after a few solicitations were made, several residents reported the calls to the Queen Anne's County Sheriff's Office.

"We received complaints several weeks ago, and also just a few days ago" said Lt. Dale L. Patrick, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

The sheriff first issued a statement in late June to clear up confusion that the fundraising was somehow tied to his office. In the statement, he said:

"The callers, who have been reported to be rude and unprofessional, are not affiliated with the Sheriff's Office and nor would I condone any member of this office to act in a manner."

The solicitations and complaints resumed this past week when telemarketers began calling individual residences throughout the county.

Lisa Farber, an administrative assistant with the Centerville Police Department and an associate with FOP Lodge 108, said they decided to use C.S.G. because many other local fraternal orders in nearby counties had success with the same telemarketing service.

"Most FOP's do some amazing things for their county," she said. "We haven't had the means to do anything yet, so this fundraiser was a no-brainer. We could actually do something."

Ms. Farber said many officers involved in the fraternal order work 12-hour shifts and cannot spare the time to solicit door-to-door or call over the phone.

"There is a tremendous amount of administration work required to solicit," she said. "For those officers to find the time to do that, it's really, really difficult."

Sheriff Hofmann responded: "I understand where they are coming from. I'm just not a fan of telemarketing. I think it's important to be out there in the community."

Mr. House says the fraternal order plans to restart the phone solicitation service once the telemarketers have been trained to deliver factual and clear statements. The Maryland State Lodge will assist in setting up these compliance guidelines. Mr. House also said the fraternal order is considering the possibility of bulk mail solicitations.

Sheriff Hofmann said he recommends that county residents visit Web sites such as CharityNavigator.com and Scambusters.org before making charitable donations over the phone. He also advises against unfamiliar and cold call solicitations.

"People don't want to receive a phone call at dinner anyway," he said.

To send a donation to the Queen Anne's County Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 108, please address an envelope to: FOP Lodge 108, PO Box 695, Centreville, MD 21617.