Active Membership

Section 1. Any regularly appointed or elected and full-time employed law enforcement officer of the United States, any state or political subdivision thereof, or any agency may be eligible for membership in the Fraternal Order of Police, subject to the provisions of this Constitution. No person shall be denied membership on account of race, religion, color, creed, sex, age, or national origin.

Section 2. SUBJECT ONLY TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE F.O.P. CONSTITUTION, EACH STATE AND SUBORDINATE LODGE SHALL BE THE JUDGE OF ITS MEMBERSHIP. EACH STATE AND SUBORDINATE LODGE SHALL ESTABLISH REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP IN GOOD STANDING OF ITS RESPECTIVE MEMBERSHIP, WHICH REQUIREMENTS SHALL NOT BE INCONSISTENT HEREWITH.

Section 3. There shall be three (3) classes of membership: Active, Retired, and Honorary.

A. Active Membership

1. Shall include regularly appointed or elected full-time law enforcement officers.

2. May include retired regularly appointed for elected law enforcement officers.

3. May include, subject to the approval of his state and subordinate lodges, regularly appointed or elected law enforcement officers who have resigned from their law enforcement duties and who have remained in good standing with their state and subordinate lodges.

4. Only active members, as herein defined, shall have voice and vote.

B. Retired Membership

1. Shall be comprised of retired regularly appointed or elected law enforcement officers who withdraw from active membership upon or after retirement from their law enforcement agency.

C. Honorary Membership

SHALL BE COMPRISED OF INDIVIDUALS RECOGNIZED BY THE GRAND LODGE, STATE LODGE, OR SUBORDINATE LODGES FOR EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE OR CONTRIBUTION TO THE NATION, THE STATE, POLITICAL SUBDIVISION, THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY, OR THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE.

Section 4. No person shall be a member of more than one state or subordinate lodge at the same time nor shall any member who is delinquent, or who has been suspended by a state or subordinate lodge for any reason, be eligible for membership in any other state or subordinate lodge until such suspension has been lifted.

Section 5. The Fraternal Order of Police may deny membership to anyone who is, or has been, a member of the Communist party, or any party regardless of what name known which advocates the abolition, destruction or violent overthrow of the government of the United States or any state or political subdivision thereof.

Section 6. The Fraternal Order of Police may deny any membership, or continuation of membership to anyone convicted of a felony crime in any court of the United States, or any state court, once all appeals have been exhausted.

Associate Membership

In addition to the aforementioned classifications of membership, the Fraternal Order of Police offers Associate membership to individuals not meeting any of the aforementioned CRITERIA. ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP IS GRANTED AT THE LOCAL LODGE LEVEL.