The Fort Lauderdale Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #31 is the state certified Collective Bargaining Unit for Fort Lauderdale police officers, sergeants and captains. The local lodge is the backbone of the FOP and should be in the forefront of any fight to protect and advance their members and the police profession. FOP Lodge 31 provides its members with legal defense arising out of their actions as police officers, union representation in the grievance procedure and provides health and life insurance coverage. FOP Lodge 31 continues to donate to many local charities and youth athletic programs in the greater Fort Lauderdale area.
The Florida State Lodge was chartered by the Grand Lodge in 1950, and is headquartered in Tallahassee. We have grown to over 125 local lodges and a statewide membership over 20,000. The Florida State Lodge is then broken down into 7 Districts. Fort Lauderdale FOP Lodge 31 is affiliated with FOP District 5. Through the political process the FOP is responsible for a number of accomplishments:
1. Law Enforcement and Corrections Officer Bill of Rights
2. Collective Bargaining for Public Employees
3. Minimum standards and training for law enforcement and corrections officers
4. Salary incentive programs for law enforcement officers
5. Criminal Code revisions to meet changing needs
6. Mandatory sentences for crimes involving firearms
7. Preservation of state and municipal pension plans
8. Deputy Sheriff’s Bill of Rights
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.
The Fraternal Order of Police was founded on May 14, 1915 thanks to the courage and wisdom of two Pittsburgh police officers, Martin Toole and Delbert Nagle. The FOP is the largest police organization in the world with over 310,000 members. Unlike other police organizations the FOP membership is comprised solely of sworn law enforcement and corrections officers.
All FOP lodges are united by the parent organization known as the Grand Lodge. The Board of Directors are elected at a biennial conference held in odd-numbered years. Each state having a State Lodge is entitled to elect a national trustee to serve on the board. Each local lodge is entitled to send delegates to the national conference to elect the officers and set the course, which the National Lodge will follow.
Under FOP, each local lodge decides for itself whether to engage in collective bargaining, legal defense or function solely as a social, professional organization. Many lodges do both. However, this choice is left strictly to the members of each lodge with no interference or decision-making by the State Lodge, National Lodge, or members of other agencies.
