Our History
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In the Beginning...
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 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 107 years ago lives on with more than 2,100 local lodges and more than 364,000 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.
About New Jersey Lodge No. 46
Lodge #46 of the New Jersey State Fraternal Order of Police® was chartered on January 10, 1970 as Penn Central Railroad Police Lodge #46, comprising entirely of members from that department.
In 1976, Lodge 46 merged with Lodge #45 (then the Lehigh Valley RR PD) & Lodge #41 (then the Erie Lackawanna RR PD) to form Conrail Police Lodge #46. Conrail Police Lodge #46 also incorporated several other railroad police departments into it's lodge at the time as a result of the ConRail merger.
In 1980, application was made and approval was granted to Lodge #46 to open it's membership statewide and change the Lodge's name to the current name of New Jersey Lodge #46. In 1991, the Lodge was officially incorporated as Fraternal Order of Police® New Jersey Lodge No. 46, Inc.
The Lodge continued to expand its membership to police officers from over 50 different police agencies within Northern & Central New Jersey, reaching it peak of almost 700 members at one point in 1993.
Lodge #46 has undergone much change over the past several years, seeking to better define it's jurisdiction and to adequately serve it's law enforcement membership community. While remembering the Lodge's original roots from the railroad police departments it served, the Lodge has recognized the diverse number of members it now has taken in over the years from the various law enforcement agencies within Northern & Central New Jersey.
New Jersey Lodge #46 currently serves members from various law enforcement agencies within Northern & Central New Jersey. The Lodge's membership also includes a sizeable number of retired law enforcement officers from across the state and the Tri-State region. The Lodge's membership currently stands at approximately 250 members from approximately 16 jurisdictions. Any law enforcement officer who is interested in obtaining membership in New Jersey Lodge #46 may inquire about the qualifications to become an Active Member of the Lodge by contacting us by telephone or by e-Mail address where we can provide additional details and information.
New Jersey Lodge #46 currently serves members from various law enforcement agencies within Northern & Central New Jersey. The Lodge's membership also includes a sizeable number of retired law enforcement officers from across the state and the Tri-State region. The Lodge's membership currently stands at approximately 250 members from approximately 16 jurisdictions. Any law enforcement officer who is interested in obtaining membership in New Jersey Lodge #46 may inquire about the qualifications to become an Active Member of the Lodge by contacting us by telephone or by e-Mail address where we can provide additional details and information.
