Ocean City’s FOP Lodge Celebrates 50th Year

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Ocean City’s FOP Lodge Celebrates 50th Year
Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan and Councilman Mark Paddack are pictured addressing members of the local FOP lodge in attendance at Monday’s council meeting. Photo by Shawn Soper

OCEAN CITY — Ocean City Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 10 was recognized this week with a special ceremony and proclamation at City Hall marking its 50th anniversary.

At the outset of Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting, FOP Lodge 10, essentially the resort police department’s union, was honored with a special ceremony recognizing its 50th anniversary. Ocean City’s FOP Lodge 10 was one of the first in Maryland.

On Jan. 11, 1969, Ocean City FOP Lodge 10 received its charter at a special ceremony at the Ocean City fire station. State FOP President Bill Giffin officially swore in Lodge 10’s original board members. The very next day on January 12 at a ceremony at City Hall, then-Ocean City Mayor Hugh T. Cropper was sworn in as the first honorary member of FOP Lodge 10.

In 1969, Ocean City FOP Lodge 10 became only the fifth chartered FOP lodge in Maryland. Among those other early lodges around the state were Hagerstown, Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, Baltimore City, Cumberland and Frederick, all of which are celebrating their 50-year anniversaries. Today, there are 78 chartered FOP lodges in Maryland.

In October 2002, the citizens of Ocean City solidified the professional, mutually-beneficial relationship between FOP Lodge 10 and the town when it approved the union’s right to bargain collectively through a referendum vote after a protracted campaign. In the many years since, town officials and the FOP Lodge 10 leadership have negotiated several successful labor contracts beneficial to both parties.

On Monday, with a dozen or so FOP Lodge 10 board members and past-presidents on hand, Mayor Rick Meehan read into the record a proclamation recognizing the 50th anniversary of Lodge 10 and all it has accomplished for the city and its citizens.

“We’ve been very fortunate in Ocean City to have Lodge 10 here,” he said. “We have certainly developed a great working relationship with the FOP in recent years in particular. It has served Ocean City well and the police department well and it certainly serves the citizens well.”

For his part, FOP Lodge 10 President Joe Bushnell, speaking on behalf of his colleagues in attendance, said the feeling was mutual.

“I just want to thank the Mayor and Council,” he said. “I believe we do have a very good relationship in this town and our lodge is strong. We want to continue that strong relationship in the future.”

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.