|
|
|
|
The Fraternal Order of Police today is the mark of a true law enforcement professional. Just as medical doctors have their medical associations and lawyers have their bar associations, so we have ours. When I speak about professionalism, that conjures up a vague idea for many. Some think it is just a look, a pressed uniform, polished shoes, etc. That is only one small part of it. What makes a profession is three elements: (1) Standardized methods of performing our tasks, according to national standards; (2) A body of knowledge and nomenclature that each of us must master; and (3) A self governing body, represented by individuals who are active practitioners of the first two elements. That is what this Lodge is, the third element, which is necessary for us to be TRUE professionals. Members of this Lodge commit themselves to our code of ethics and governance of that code by their peers, the officers of the Lodge. That is self-regulation and that makes us professionals. The Fraternal Order of Police has become recognized by the society as the organization for professional law enforcement officers. This is demonstrated everyday in several ways. When the news media seeks opinions on issues relating to law enforcement, they now more often then not, ask the FOP. When Congress considers issues relating to our profession, the FOP has a seat of prominence at the table. When the President seeks advice on law enforcement issues, he asks our President. This position of prestige wasn't gained easily for the FOP; it was established because members of the FOP are individuals who strive to be their best, who refuse to compromise in their personal standards. It was established because FOP members are the cream of the crop that set the standard for the others to follow. Just as the FOP has fought and struggled to become the leader in our profession, so have we DVA Police Officers struggled. Over the decades we have struggled to establish appropriate standards in our agency. We have struggled to gain access to the tools of our profession. We have struggled to have access to appropriate training, knowledge and methods. Years ago, DVA officers could not be members of the FOP because our standards were so low, we were not considered by our peers to be law enforcement officers. Today, because of the grass roots efforts of officers at their stations who demanded improvement, we are recognized by our peers and this Lodge is a manifestation of that recognition. We might have a long way to go to be the best we can be, but we have gone quite far and we will go further as long as there are officers who demand improvement and those officers usually are our members. Our lodge of the FOP is not a labor union. This is an issue that is often easily confused. Many states have established as part of their state grand lodges, a separate labor union element. Our lodge is what might be termed a fraternal lodge, where we gather to exchange ideas and knowledge. Our lodge was never established to be a labor union and has no plans at the present time to go that route. However, what our lodge is, it is our PRIDE. It is our barge of professional peer recognition. It is the culmination of years of sweat and tears by our peers who demanded respect. Respect yourself, be recognized by your peers, be part of the Fraternal Order of Police. There are four (4) classes of membership:
Active Membership: As the Lodge is dedicated to law enforcement officers of the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, active membership is restricted to regularly appointed or elected, full-time employed law enforcement officers, who are also:
Members of a United States Department of Veteran Affairs law enforcement agency; or
Members of a law enforcement agency who shares jurisdiction with a United States Department of Veteran Affairs law enforcement agency; or
Veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States.
Any person who has resigned from their law enforcement duties and are employed full-time by the Grand or State Lodge and have remained a member in good standing of the Lodge are also eligible for active membership.
Any person who does not meet the above criteria, may petition the Executive Board for a waiver of conditions for active membership under this article. The Executive Board may only grant such a waiver if the petitioner is a regularly appointed or elected, full-time employed law enforcement officer.
Retired Membership: Shall be persons who have been active members in good standing with the Lodge and have retired from their law enforcement agency, under the terms of that agencies retirement program. Retired members shall be exempt from paying annual dues or membership assessment.
Honorary Membership: Shall be any person designated by the Executive Board as a person deserving of recognition for exemplary service to the nation or the law enforcement profession. Honorary members shall be exempt from paying annual dues or membership assessments.
Associate Membership: Shall be any person, who has an interest in supporting the efforts of law enforcement on properties and campuses of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Associate members shall pay annually a special membership assessment.
Our Lodge was originally established for the DVA Officers at the Westside VA Medical Center (now the Jessie Brown VA Medical Center) in Chicago, Illinois. Over the years, officers from other VA Medical Centers around the county who did not have access to a local lodge asked to join and in 2001, the Lodge leadership made the decision to expand membership to any DVA officer who desired to participate. Unfortunately, those officers outside the Chicago area can not enjoy the traditional lodge experience with meetings and social events. Therefore, such means as this website and a printed newsletter have been employed to allow officers station far away to participate in a meaningful way.
We welcome any officer from any station in the country to seek membership in our lodge and demonstrate to the world their sincere interest in being a true professional. Membership in the Fraternal Order of Police is a privilege and one that we have earned.
The hyperlink below will open our membership application in your browser. The application is in Adobe PDF format (Portable Document Format). In order to view the application, the Adobe 'Acrobat Reader' is required (or a 3rd party PDF reader). If you do not already have this software installed, it is freely available for download from the Adobe web site. Click on the 'Get Acrobat Reader' icon to download the latest version free of charge. You will need to use your browsers "back" button to return to this page after viewing.
 Membership Application
DVA Law Enforcement Officer's Lodge
|
MENU
MISSION STATEMENT
CODE OF ETHICS
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
LODGE NEWS
LODGE AWARDS
PHILANTHROPIC PROGRAMS
RESOLUTIONS
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
LODGE BY-LAWS
LODGE STORE
MEMORIAL
LINKS
E-MAIL