- In 1915, the life of a
policeman was bleak. In many communities they
were forced to work 12 hour days, 365 days a
year. Police officers didn't like it, but there
was little they could do to change their working
conditions. There were no organizations to make
their voices heard; no other means to make their
grievances known.
This soon changed, thanks to the courage and
wisdom of two Pittsburgh patrol officers. Martin
Toole and Delbert Nagle knew they must first
organize police officers, like other labor
interests, if they were to be successful in
making life better for themselves and their
fellow police officers. They and 21 others
"who were willing to take a chance" met
on May 14, 1915, and held the first meeting of
the Fraternal Order of Police. They formed Fort
Pitt Lodge #1. They decided on this name due to
the anti-union sentiment of the time. However,
there was no mistaking their intentions. As they
told their city mayor, Joe Armstrong, the FOP
would be the means "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."
And so it began, a tradition of police officers
representing police officers. The Fraternal Order
of Police was given life by two dedicated police
officers determined to better their profession
and those who choose to protect and serve our
communities, our states, and our country. It was
not long afterward that Mayor Armstrong was
congratulating the Fraternal Order of Police for
their "strong influence in the legislatures
in various states,...their considerate and
charitable efforts" on behalf of the
officers in need and for the FOP's "efforts
at increasing the public confidence toward the
police to the benefit of the peace, as well as
the public."
From that small beginning the Fraternal Order of
Police began growing steadily. In 1955, the idea
of a National Organization of Police Officers
came about. Today, the tradition that was first
envisioned over 85 years ago lives on with more
than 2,100 local lodges and nearly 300,000
members in the United States. The Fraternal Order
of Police has become the largest professional
police organization in the country. The FOP
continues to grow because we have been true to
the tradition and continued to build on it. The
Fraternal Order of Police are proud professionals
working on behalf of law enforcement officers
from all ranks and levels of government.
(Thanks
to GrandLodgeFOP.org for the
above history)
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