PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — With the new year comes fresh leadership in Philadelphia: a new mayor, a new police commissioner, and a new president of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
Roosevelt Poplar, known as Rosie or Pop to many, grew up in North Philadelphia. He worked his way up through the police department, starting in the 22nd District and moving to the 25th, then the drug enforcement unit.
In 2002, he became the vice president of the FOP Lodge 5, serving as chief of staff to John McNesby until his departure in November 2023.
As president, Poplar hopes to grow the police force with quality cops who are supported by city leaders. He has already spoken to Cherelle Parker, Philadelphia’s incoming mayor, and the next police commissioner, Kevin Bethel, about similar goals, including strengthening the number of officers on the street — which is down about 800 spots.
“We have a major manpower shortage, and that is going to have to be addressed,” he assured.
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He has also spoken to District Attorney Larry Krasner, who has been critical of the FOP.
“You have 99% of the police department that go to work every day, do their job, and they really care about the citizens and the city,” said Poplar. “They want to feel protected as well, and that’s our job to protect them.”
In 2023, 11 Philadelphia police officers were shot in the line of duty — one of the highest years, Poplar said.
“The emotional trauma that it takes on these officers every day that put their lives on the line is unexplainable because after the incident, there are months of recovery — physical, mental and emotional,” he said.
During his decades-long tenure as a Philly cop, Poplar was shot at while serving in the 25th District, though he’s never been injured. He said his main focus as the new police union president is to make sure officers feel supported by all city offices.
“We have to protect the people that are actually protecting the people in the city,” he added. “[If] we can’t protect the police officers in the city, then we definitely can’t protect the citizens in the city. We have to make sure they are ready to go and have enough support out there to make sure they can do their job properly and correctly.”