The
Kansas City Police Officers were represented
by a regional Fraternal Order of Police
lodge for most of the 1990's until 1999,
when the Kansas City membership split off
to create the Kansas City Police Officers' Association eventually reorganizing in 2007 and becoming the Kansas City Fraternal Order of Police. This move was spurred on by
Kansas City Police Officers who felt that
a single lodge representing only Kansas
City Police Officers would give the members
an identity, direction, and a singular purpose
- moving the Lodge ahead in it's mission
to represent Kansas City, Missouri Police
Officers in the best way possible, through
formal recognition. This primary focus of
the Lodge in obtaining collective bargaining
was made clear through the statement of
the Lodge mission in the preamble of the
KC Fraternal Order of Police By-laws.
At
a general membership meeting on November
2, 2004 - the membership accepted the following
revised preamble in the constitution and
bylaws of the KCFOP declaring the mission
and focus of our organization. The new mission
statement provides a definitive declaration
of the direction of the noble pursuit of
representing Kansas City's Finest as follows:
We,
the members of the Kansas City Police Officers
Association/Fraternal Order of Police Lodge
#99, a Missouri non profit corporation,
believing that by our association we have
the facility of mutual interchange of thought,
information and opinion, and the opportunity
to demonstrate the sincerity of our purpose;
whereby the experience of each becomes common
to all, and believing this association results
in a greater development of our intellectual,
professional, moral and social faculties,
enabling us to share in the gains and honors
of advancing social order; and further believing
that education, industry, and moral worth
are the true standards of greatness, do
hereby pledge ourselves to the use of all
honorable means to promote professionalism
and fraternalism among our members; as well
as our Brother and Sister members throughout
the State and Grand Lodge.
We therefore form and hereby associate for
the following purposes:
To support and defend the Constitution of
the United States of America and the State
of Missouri; to inculcate loyalty and allegiance
to the United States of America; to promote
and foster the impartial enforcement of
law and order; to improve the individual
proficiency of our members in the performance
of their duties; to encourage sociable,
charitable, and educational activities among
all law enforcement officers; to ensure
that all members are treated fairly and
honorably without regard to race, color,
creed, national origin or gender; to foster
a police environment which is inclusive
of, and addresses the concerns of, all segments
of the community; to advocate and strive
for uniform application of the civil merit
system for all law enforcement officers;
to create a condition of esprit de corps,
ensuring fidelity to duty under all conditions
and circumstances; to provide benefits to
our members; to promote public service programs
to the community; to cultivate a spirit
of fraternalism and mutual helpfulness among
our membership and the people we serve;
to increase the efficiency of the police
profession; to advance the moral, social,
and material standing of the members of
the Lodge by honorable and lawful means;
and, as a labor organization, to endeavor
to achieve collective bargaining with binding
arbitration; and thus more firmly establish
the confidence of the public in the service
that is dedicated to the protection of life
and property.
