in an effort to strengthen bargaining efforts. In 1966 Canadian associations were allowed to join, and the name was changed to International Conference of Police Associations, and later to International Union of Police Associations. IUPA was founded in 1979 as a national union under AFL–CIO, reported to have 51,000 members by 1979/1980, and said it represented over 100,000 members in 2018. However, its 2016 form 990 are reported a much lower number: 19,200. Since 2005 it has been headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, where it purchased a building in 2018 for its headquarters. Policy positions and lobbying In 2016, the IUPA was one of several law enforcement organizations that supported federal legislation to renew the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program. In 2020, IUPA spoke out about the importance of mental health concerns for law enforcement, describing stress as a bigger threat to police officers' safety and well-being than violence. In 2017, the IUPA, together with the Ohio State Troopers Association, filed a lawsuit against a Florida company for manufacturing defective bulletproof vests. Also in 2017, a IUPA spokesperson warned about law enforcement officers being endangered by carbon monoxide fumes from defective Ford Explorer patrol cars. In 2018, the IUPA was one of several organizations that supported the Providing Officers with Electronic Resources (POWER) Act to give various law enforcement access to screening devices suitable for detecting drugs such as fentanyl. In September 2019, well over a year before the elections, the union formally endorsed the re-election campaign of Donald Trump, while stating that the Democratic contenders vilified the police. In April 2020, four days after a 39-year-old Broward Sheriff's Office deputy died from COVID-19, and after 20 other deputies tested positive for the virus, President Jeff Bell of the Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputies Association -- a 1,400-member branch of the IUPA -- criticized Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony over the lack of personal protective equipment for the officers, and Tony's failure to respond to their memos about the situation. Tony said Bell’s actions were "dishonorable." That same month, Tony suspended the union president without pay, and placed him under administrative investigation, and Tony then terminated him in January 2022. The union announced a vote of no-confidence by its officers in Tony. A total of 88% of 786 voting road deputies and sergeants voted "no confidence" in Tony. In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests, the AFL–CIO rejected demands by the