HOUSE MEMORIAL 69

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2015

INTRODUCED BY

Paul A. Pacheco

A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE FOR ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SERVICE TO NEW MEXICO AND THE COUNTRY.

     WHEREAS, the fraternal order of police was founded on preserving the principles of law and order; and

     WHEREAS, fraternal order of police members dedicate themselves to promoting harmony and the social welfare of citizens and protecting the rights of citizens; and

     WHEREAS, fraternal order of police members have taken an oath while serving as law enforcement officers to protect and serve residents in the communities where they reside; and

     WHEREAS, in 1915, police officers faced long working hours and harsh conditions with no organizations to make police officers' voices heard and no means to address grievances; and

     WHEREAS, two Pittsburgh patrol officers knew they must first organize like other labor interests if they were to make life better for themselves and their fellow police officers and families; and

     WHEREAS, twenty-three police officers met on May 14, 1915 and held the first meeting of the fraternal order of police, and the tradition of police officers representing police officers was born; and

     WHEREAS, from that small beginning, the fraternal order of police grew into the nation's largest police organization and now boasts more than two thousand lodges and more than three hundred thousand members; and

     WHEREAS, the New Mexico state lodge was founded in 1954 and is one of the state's oldest and largest law enforcement organizations, with two thousand five hundred active members organized in twenty lodges throughout the state; and

     WHEREAS, the fraternal order of police continues to grow in New Mexico and across the country with members who have been true to the organization's tradition and continue to build on it; and

     WHEREAS, the fraternal order of police is composed of proud professionals working on behalf of all law enforcement officers from all ranks and levels of government;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the fraternal order of police be recognized for one hundred years of service to the residents of New Mexico and to the country; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the New Mexico state lodge of the fraternal order of police.

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