The president of Spoon River Valley FOP Lodge 427 received an award from the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge (FOP) during the Illinois FOP’s annual conference July 27 – 28 in O’Fallon.
Donald “Ike” Hackett was presented with the FOP Fraternalism Award, which recognizes an FOP member whose leadership has inspired others and brought positive change to the organization.
“As President of the Spoon River Valley Lodge 427, Ike has developed the lodge into the eighth largest in the state,” said Illinois FOP State Lodge President Chris Southwood. “He sets the example of steadfast, unwavering support for the membership of the Illinois FOP and the law enforcement profession.”
Hackett is a retired Fulton County Sheriff’s Department sergeant. He determined that a voice was needed for the active duty police officers and sheriff’s deputies in the region during a time of attacks on the law enforcement profession. Hackett organized several retired officers and was instrumental in forming the Spoon River Valley FOP Lodge 427. The lodge began with 29 members and has grown to more than 200 members in just a year and a half. Lodge 427 supports local citizen organizations, members in distress, and provides Christmas dinners to all law enforcement members from more than 30 area departments.
The Fraternal Order of Police, founded in 1915, is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. With a proud tradition of officers representing officers, the FOP is the most respected and most recognized police organization in the country. The Illinois FOP, chartered in 1963, is the second largest State Lodge, proudly representing more than 34,000 active duty and retired police officers – more than 10 percent of all FOP members nationwide. Visit www.ilfop.org for more information.
***Courtesy of the Fraternal Order of Police***
