In 1915 two Pittsburgh patrol officers, Martin Toole and Delbert Nagle, were willing to take a chance to change their working conditions, make their grievances known and their voices heard. Their efforts to organize police officers, like other labor interests, opened the doors to what we know today as the Fraternal Order of Police. The Fraternal Order of Police currently accounts for more than 2,100 local lodges and more than 325,000 members in the United States.
Different organizations such as The Teamsters, Police Benevolent Association, and even the Fraternal Order of Police, (Formally known as Lodge 77) represented and bargained for the members of our department throughout its formative years. In 1999, the men and women of the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department formed the Fraternal Order of Police, School Board Lodge 133, led by President Gerald Kitchell.
Since 2003, President Howard Giraldo took the helm and led our small, yet much revered and respected lodge. He worked hard alongside the executive board, to protect our members’ rights and working conditions and fight for better wages as Officers Toole and Nagle envisioned 90 years ago.
These days, current President Al Palacio has used his vast knowledge, talent, instincts, and the help of his executive board members over the last few years to lead FOP133 to its greatest achievements and success to date.
As society and the Department continue to grow in areas of technology and police investigations, so does the Fraternal Order of Police. Today, our representatives are better trained in representing officers involved in shootings, critical incidents, and Internal Affairs. They are better prepared to bargain wages and working conditions and have taken an active role on local and state legislative issues, which directly impact their members.
Miami-Dade Schools Police FOP Lodge 133 has continually grown into a professional organization its members can be proud of!!