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About Lodge 87
After several months of hard work the
Salisbury-Rowan FOP Lodge received its Charter on January 12, 2006. The Lodge
is now 40+ members strong and has recently moved to a new location at 2125
Bringle Ferry Road (The Kiwanis Camp). Our new facility offers fishing, paddle
boats, game room, soccer, outdoor theater, conference room, and kitchen. We are
proud to be the emerging voice for Law Enforcement and support personnel in
the Salisbury-Rowan County area. We will strive to support these individuals
with the highest moral and ethical standards that the FOP has been known for.
We also are proud to offer the community our help with events such as: Shop with
a Cop, Toy Drives, Golf Tournaments, Charitable Donations, and Food Drives. If
you are interested in supporting your local Fraternal Order of Police, please
contact Secretary
Todd Sides. We thank you for your support,
prayers, thoughts, and ideas.
A Brief History of the Fraternal Order of
Police
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 1917, the idea of a National Organization of Police Officers came
about. Today, the tradition that was first envisioned over 90 years ago lives
on with more than 2,100 local lodges and more than 325,000 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.
(Taken from the Grand Lodge Website) |