State of the Lodge: May 2022

The year 2022 has gotten off to a shaky start with a war in Ukraine and COVID-19 still having an impact around the globe. Law Enforcement everywhere still faces many challenges—in two short weeks we will remember over 500 members of our profession lost in the line of duty during 2021. Troubling numbers to say the least, but we must honor them during Police Week May 9-15.

Tent City will be active and open May 13-15 at RFK Lot #8. Please visit the site with your friends, family and colleagues, where vendor booths, food and refreshments will be available for everyone’s enjoyment.

Volunteers are all welcome and needed. Please contact ffreeman@dc-fop.org.

Officer Wellness:

Nothing has changed and the the Fraternal Order of Police is committed to our brothers and sisters to build and maintain a wellness program for us as we continuously keep watch over one another—if not through oath, but as colleagues and friends alike. This is very needed benefit that has been spoken about many times before.

Please remember, kind words can go a long way to a brother or sister in need of emotional support. Sometimes it is as simple as lending an ear so others can vent their concerns. We are only human, PLEASE do not forget to seek assistance if you, or someone you know, needs a bit of a hand. We all may just need someone to talk to or listen.

Lodge Finances:

While we continue to work through our deficit and legalities from the past, we are taking baby steps forward in 2022. The reason I say “baby steps” is that our national economy has slowed us down with recovery, but we are headed in the right direction under the circumstances.

Overhead continues to be a starting point. Past bills are being paid and we are trying to operate smarter, not harder, in the use of the Lodge. In the meantime, our property taxes continue to rise along with everything else. We are looking to maximize your membership benefits associated with belonging to the FOP. We on the Board of Directors have the vision of a stronger FOP future and will work to give you the best possible experience.

Virtual Office:

We are still operating with two part-time office employees. Due in part to the economy and recovering from our challenges, this will continue for the foreseeable future. Associated changes in the Lodge’s finances can, and will, change this eventually. Without the drastic operational changes that were made over the last two administrations, we would have gone bankrupt. This period of time of working from a virtual office and countless hours of volunteers’ time have given us the ability to provide you with the basic functions. We are pushing to do more.

If you have any questions, you can call or email the Lodge—we will return your messages and your emails as soon as possible. If there is some issue you believe the Lodge can help you with, and if required, an in-person meeting can be scheduled appropriately.

Membership Dues:

Over one half of our membership is composed of active Law Enforcement officers who belong to Labor Units or Committees. Their dues to the Lodge are paid for by their Labor Units. The next largest groups are active Law Enforcement members who are not in Labor Units and retired members. Members who are not in a Labor Unit, and retired members, must pay their dues to the Lodge annually unless they are lifetime members. Lifetime membership is still $500.00 until June 1, 2022. After June 1, 2022, Lifetime memberships will be processed at $618.50 and while this is a good chunk of change, it’s still a great deal.

Membership Year:

As previously reported, I am happy to announce approximately 7K membership cards have either been mailed or delivered to their respective labor committee representatives. This year we faced many challenges beyond our control in getting our membership cards out. First and foremost, we received the cards late from the National Offices printer. It was explained to us as a logistical matter in supplies and materials. Second, once we received the cards we had issues obtaining 10K #10 envelopes due to supply and demand issues within the U.S. We do apologize for the late delivery of these cards, but we were working with a 100% volunteer staff along with the other aforementioned issues. I want to thank our volunteers for everything they have completed and continue to do.

If you have not received your membership card, it is coming. Many reasons complicate late delivery, but two major ones are: a bad address, or late renewals by Retired Members, Separated Members and non-Labor Committee Members.

The membership year began on January 1, 2022, and will end on December 31, 2022. Many members think their year began on the very same day they joined the Lodge. The fact is that the Lodge’s fiscal year begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. Please pay in December or early January.

Membership Cards:

The bill for mailing out 2022 membership cards will not be finalized until later in this year, but we are projecting about $14,000.00 in associated costs. This number would be a modest savings compared to the previous two years.

Membership Reinstatement Fee:

This does not apply to members who are in Labor Units: twice a year, the Lodge pays the National FOP dues—called per capita—for each member. We pay per capita of around $45,000 every six months in National dues. Just before the Lodge makes that payment, the Lodge requests a purge of Lodge database so that we do not pay a per capita amount for members who have not paid their dues. The result of this process is that members are dropped from the Lodge’s database, and the Lodge does not have to pay six months’ worth of dues for members who have not renewed their membership.

If your data is removed from the database and you pay your dues late, before we can get you reinstated, we have to pay the per capita for you. The National FOP will not reinstate you until they have $5.75 in their hands. Once your per capita is paid, the National FOP sends us a new membership card for you.

The process or putting all your information back into the system takes time; therefore, the Lodge’s Board of Directors voted to add a $5.00 reinstatement fee to your dues if you are kicked out of the database.

Gift Shop:

While we do not currently have an Gift Shop at the Lodge, we are exploring an online gift shop to sell products from all of our agencies who belong to FOP Lodge #1. Please submit all suggestions, or ideas about the shop, if you have them. Please call or email the Lodge at lodge@dc-fop.org.

FOP Tags:

In 2021 our Lodge voted to increase this fee to $50.00. The process is not that difficult, but it requires someone to come into the office to first verify that you are eligible for the type of tags you want, and then precisely complete DMV paperwork that the Lodge must process.

Your Lodge:

The Lodge is yours and belongs to our membership. We are here for you and will try and hold several events over the next several months for our membership. Get involved and learn how your FOP can assist you. Stay involved and preserve your profession with a philosophy geared towards the needs of your brothers and sisters alike. Our team knows it is hard to be active at the Lodge with so many distractions out there: pandemics, civil unrest and all the associated challenges of being in Law Enforcement. The Lodge can be your safe place to learn, mentor, teach and relax. More importantly, you as a member always have a right to have your voice heard.

DC Lodge National Reach:

The FOP has a national reach. The National FOP has Legislative offices on Capitol Hill, and a full time lobbyist who understands you and your needs. I suggest you contact them if you have legislative issues or issues that are of a National nature.

In closing, I will keep you and yours in my thoughts and prayers.

Special thanks to Gary Durand, Ron Bureson, and Lou Cannon for their contributions to this update.

Fraternally,

Michael F. Murphy
President
DC FOP Lodge #1

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