The FOP has 40 state lodges and more than 2,000 local lodges. The FOP is by far the largest police organization in the United States. We also have affiliate lodges in Canada, Ireland, and Germany. One must be a full-time or a retired law enforcement officer to become a member of the Fraternal Order of Police. There must be at least 10 qualified officers to charter a local lodge.
Any state having three lodges can form a state lodge.
The charter members of the local lodge elect interim officers until formal elections can be held. Each local lodge is represented on the state board of directors by a state trustee. The state board of directors is composed of the same officers as the local lodge, from the state president to the state chaplain. A national trustee is elected every two years to represents the state lodge. The national trustee sit on the national board of directors.