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Fraternal Order of Police (U.S.)

With Words image by Randy Young, 7 August 2016		No Words image by Randy Young, 7 August 2016

Description of the flag

See also:

Description of the flag

"The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is the world's largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers, with more than 330,000 members in more than 2,200 lodges in the United States. It reports a membership of over 325,000 members organized in 2100 local chapters (lodges), organized into local lodges, state lodges, and the national Grand Lodge. The organization attempts to improve the working conditions of law enforcement officers and the safety of those they serve through education, legislation, information, community involvement, and employee representation.

FOP subordinate lodges may be trade unions and/or Fraternal Organizations, as the FOP has both Labor Lodges & Fraternal Lodges and describes itself as a "full service member representation organization."It lobbies Congress and regulatory agencies on behalf of law enforcement officers, provides labor representation, promotes legal defense for officers, and offers resources such as legal research.

The FOP constitution and bylaws provide that active membership is open to "any regularly appointed or elected and full-timeemployed law enforcement officer of the United States, any state or political subdivision thereof, or any agency may be eligible for membership" and that "each state and subordinate lodge shall be the judge of its membership." Local lodges often have provisions for retired law enforcement officers. The subordinate lodges are supported by state lodges which are subordinate to the Grand Lodge. TheGrandLodge is the national structure of the order.

It was established on May 14, 195 when the first 23 police officers held the first meeting, led by Pittsburgh patrol officers. Martin Toole and Delbert Nagle to represent labor interests, whose goal was "to bring our aggrievances before the Mayor or Council and have many things adjusted that we are unable to present in any other way...we could get many things through our legislature that our Council will not, or cannot give us." They formed Fort Pitt Lodge #1. They decided on this name due to the anti-union sentiment of the time."

Sources: www.fop.net/CmsPage.aspx?id=223
www.fop.net/CmsPage.aspx?id=13
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraternal_Order_of_Police

Its flag is seen here: (source: www.longmontfop6.com/). It is a horizontal white flag with the logo in the middle, and on the bottom the name of the organization in blue capital letters.

For additional information go to official website: www.fop.net

Esteban Rivera, 7 August 2016

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