Jefferson Hills police: Company selling Officer Provins memorial T-shirts online not authorized

By ERIC SEIVERLING
eseiverling@yourmvi.com
Jefferson Hills police are warning residents of an unauthorized T-shirt sale claiming to be a fundraiser for the family of Officer Dale Provins, who died Saturday after being involved in a two-car collision June 3.
North Carolina-based company Shield Republic Charities began selling memorial T-shirts Monday with a Blue Line American Flag on the back of the shirt accompanied by the script “Hold the Line Officer Dale Provins, EOW 5-13-2020, Jefferson Hills Pennsylvania” and asks that customers “Help honor Officer Dale Provins of the Jefferson Hills Police Department.”
Regarding its sale of Provins’ memorial shirts, Shield Republic Charities states on its website “100% of the net profits will be donated in memory of Officer Dale Provins to benefit Officer Provins’ family.”
But Jefferson Hills police say otherwise.
“The JHPD has received multiple inquiries regarding the memorial shirt from Shield Republic Charities and its legitimacy,” the police department wrote on its Facebook page Wednesday. “Shield Republic is not authorized to use Officer Provins’ name on any merchandise they are offering for sale. Shield Republic has been advised to cease and desist immediately. We recommend that no one purchases these items.”
An email to Shield Republic Charities seeking comment was not returned, and a phone number for the company answers with an outgoing message but does not allow callers to leave a voicemail.
On Saturday, Provins, 50, died from injuries sustained in an on-duty vehicle crash on June 3 in the 200 block of Old Clairton Road in Jefferson Hills.
The driver of the other vehicle also remains hospitalized, and police did not give any information regarding his condition.
Provins is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He served with the Jefferson Hills Borough Police Department for 15 years and was a second-generation police officer. He is survived by his daughter, fiancée, parents and siblings.
Provins’ public viewing is scheduled for noon to 7 p.m. Friday at the Jefferson Hills Municipal Complex, and his funeral is scheduled for Saturday for the public at Round Hill Cemetery in Elizabeth. Attendees are requested to report directly to the cemetery no later than 11 a.m. for gravesite service. A small procession will accompany Officer Provins from the funeral home to the cemetery.