FOP Lodge 5 President Roosevelt “Pop” Poplar has worked every job and has held every position in our union from answering the phones at the front desk to sitting behind the President’s desk. He is the longest serving elected official in Lodge 5.
On June 18th, 1990, Roosevelt Poplar joined the Philadelphia Police Department. He began his career working in the 22nd District, moving on to the 25th District in 1997, where he served on the undercover narcotics team (NETS Team). He received several commendations and awards throughout his career as a police officer including officer of the month and a citation from City Council.
From 2000 through 2002, He served as a Trustee of the FOP. On October 9th, 2002, he took a leave of absence from the Philadelphia Police Department to serve as the Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police, Philadelphia Lodge #5 and has held this position for the past 21 years. He was the Chair of the Legal Services Committee from 2002 through 2007, where he saved FOP Legal Services over $400,000 in his first year as the Chair. He negotiated multiple contracts for the attorneys as well as assisting in the ACT 111 contract negotiations for police officers and the ACT 195 negotiations for the deputy sheriffs. In 2007, he also became the Chief of Staff and continued this dual role for 15 years.
In January of 2011, He attended the Harvard Trade Union Program, which is the second oldest executive education program at Harvard University. This program taught essential skills for the management and leadership of unions. He also received various training certificates in labor negotiations from Penn State University.
In addition to serving the community and our Police Officers as VP of Lodge 5, He served as Vice President of the Pennsylvania State Fraternal Order of Police from August 2008 through August 2022.
From October 2021 through December 2023, Roosevelt served as a Trustee at the Pension Board. With other board members, he oversaw all pension contributions from current employees and all benefit payments made to eligible people who have left City service. The board also makes sure that decisions are made to keep the pension fund healthy.
In November 2023, Roosevelt became the acting President of the Fraternal Order of Police, which serves over 13,000 active and retired police officers and deputy sheriffs. His goal is to lead this organization into one of the most respected organizations in the country. He will continue to provide the best benefits for the members of Lodge 5 as well as their families and be their relentless advocate.