Charles County Fraternal Order of Police Francis C. Garner Lodge #24, Inc. 10285 Rosewick Road La Plata, Maryland 20646
.: lodge calendar!
.: Picnic!
DATE: September 20th
Time: Noon
Location: Rec Site off of Blossom Point Road
Contact: Steve Potter potters@ccso.us or Daniel Bacon bacond@ccso.us for further information.
.: lodge history!
Legend has it that the then-current President of the Maryland State FOP Lodge in 1973 drove to Charles County on a dark, rainy night to dine at one of our popular restaurants. Upon arriving at an intersection in Waldorf, he noticed that the traffic light was not functioning; he observed a Charles County Police Officer directing traffic through the intersection, not wearing a raincoat to protect him from the wind and rain. When the State Lodge President stopped to ask the officer where his raincoat was, the officer replied, "We are not issued raincoats." The president got out of his car, opened his trunk, and gave the already-drenched officer his Anne Arundel County Police raincoat to wear.
The next day, the president remembered the rain-soaked officer and contacted the Charles County Commissioners to ask why the Charles County Police Officers were not issued raincoats. He convinced the commissioners to issue raincoats to the officers.
The next day, Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police formed the Charles County Lodge #24 Fraternal Order of Police.
A short while later, with respect and admiration for their retiring sheriff, recognizing his many years of service in law enforcement, the lodge name was changed to . . .
