At our last meeting we discussed the concept of a quarterly and annual FOP Recognition Award. This was unanimously voted through as a way to recognize the acts of our brothers and sisters who go above and beyond the call of duty. The name of this award will be the FOP Lodge 21 Hero Award. This award can be given to anyone who exhibits honor, valor, or exceptional service at work or outside of work. The months that the award will be given are February, May, August, and November. The annual recipient will be awarded in December and will be selected from the 4 quarterly recipients. We will vote as a lodge at those monthly meetings and then the awards will be issued following those meetings.
What will the awards be? The quarterly award will include a $100 check from Lodge 21, a certificate of recognition, and Lodge 21 T-shirt or hat of your choice. The annual award will consist of a $500 check, a plaque commemorating the award, and a FOP Lodge 21 polo. We are attempting to recognize our wonderful Peace Officers who go above and beyond the call of duty, who embody the spirit of FOP Lodge 21.
If you know someone who in the time period between quarterly awards has exhibited the kind of acts that deserve the FOP Lodge 21 Hero award, please be sure to submit their name and a synopsis of their acts by the end of the month preceding the above mentioned Lodge meetings. When you submit your recommendation to praterfop21@yahoo.com be sure to include all relevant information. For the upcoming February meeting we need all submissions by January 31st, 2024. We will then post the submissions on the website for all to review, one week before the meeting. Members can submit their vote by email or at the Lodge meeting itself. All emailed votes must be received by 7:00p.m. on the Friday before the meeting. Only members can vote, but anyone who is an officer, forensic specialist, or supervisor can win the award.
So for the first award, to be decided at the upcoming February meeting, we will go back from January 31st,2024 to July 1st, 2023. The reason being that we have not previously done this and we want to give everyone a shot to submit acts dating back to July. In the future, the cutoff dates will be 3 months at a time. so February 1st, 2024 through April 30th, 2024. If you know someone who is deserving or you wish to nominate yourself, please send in your submissions to our secretaries email address above. Let's start off strong with our Brothers and Sisters who deserve to be recognized.