In 1915 two Officers from the Pittsburgh Police Department formed the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). Today the FOP is the world's largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers with more than 324,000 members in more than 2,100 lodges nationally. The FOP is the voice of those who dedicate their lives to protecting and serving our communities.

The Grand Lodge (Nashville, Tenessee) is the main governing body for all FOP lodges. Most states have a State FOP Lodge and Local Lodges serve under the State Lodges. Through the Grand Lodge the FOP offers many services such as credit cards, insurance, investment brokers and travel services. In addition, the Minnesota FOP has a legal defense plan that covers members for civil, criminal, and administrative actions. The Minnesota FOP publishes a bi-annual magazine and the Grand Lodge publishes quarterly newspapers.

In Minnesota, the first FOP lodge was chartered in 1991 and the Minnesota State Lodge was founded in 1993. Minnesota currently has approximately 2500 members in 24 lodges throughout the state. While the FOP is a national organization each state has autonomy and controls its own activities and finances. The FOP is much like other fraternal groups such as the Masons and the Elks, only it's exclusively for law enforcement officers. Local lodges meet on a regular basis (usually monthly) and set its own agenda and calendar.

Locally, The Fraternal Order of Police Minnesota Metro Lodge #3 serves law enforcement officers in the immediate Minneapolis area. Metro Lodge #3 operates such as its motto suggests: “Encouraging/promoting participation in charity, fraternal and civic events amoung the law enforcement community”. Metro Lodge #3 also acts as a non profit corporation in Minnesota under MN 317A (corporation #1K-518). Annual dues for Lodge #3 are only $25.00 and all active and retired law enforcement are eligible for membership.