Delaware Association of Police History

In 1942 the officers of the various police departments in the state tried to join a union, the Fraternal of Police, FOP, but were denied by their department leaders. It was at this time the officers decided to form their own association, and they called it the Association of Delaware Police as showed by the preamble written for the By-Laws,

Whereas: By association we have facility of mutual interchange of thought, information and the experience of each becomes common to all which always results in the higher development of out intellectual, moral and social faculties and enables us to share in the gains and honors of advancing civilization:

Therefore, we, the members of the various Police Departments of this State, convinced that it is to the best interest of our members, hereby unite under the name of the Police Association of Delaware, and believing that intelligence, industry and normal worth are the true standards of greatness, do hereby pledge ourselves to use all honorable means to promote sociability and fraternity among the members of the Association.

The Police Association of Delaware is an organization for Policeman managed by Policemen actively engaged in Police work for the State, County, Town, City or Municipality.

The Police Association of Delaware is not affiliated with any other organization.

The due for the association was $1.00 dollars a month, and the meetings were held on the first and second Wednesdays of the month. On this night there were no ladies allowed in the building. The ladies did form the Ladies Auxiliary of the association.

The association incorporated in 1942, were it became the DELAWARE ASSOCIATION of POLICE and the logo was formed with the name of the association, the state seal, and Wilmington Lodge 1.

The first thing the association did was to try to get better wages for the policemen by sending out letters to other department in the country to find out what their salaries were from Chief to Patrolman and it varied from state to state,

In 1945 the policeman from down state was asked to join but they decide not to because it was to far to come to a meeting, they also were asked if they would like to start a second lodge that would be under the corporation of the current lodge but this was also denied, so the only policeman belonging to the association were from the up state area even though the rest of the policeman benefited from what the association did for it members.

This worked out and the police officers in the state started to get better wages. Wilmington Police through the Delaware Association of Police (DAP) got together with the Fire Department and they both worked on getting the departments more money, and thus has been an on going association between to two (2) departments,

In 1947 the DAP started a sports program with baseball being the main sports during the summer and the DAP picked up the Pushmobile Derby from the city and opened it up to children from the state, with it first being ran on a street Lea Blvd.

1966 the police were able to join a union and they join the FOP becoming FOP Lodge #1, in the state the DAP then became more of a social association, still ran for policeman by policeman.

As the years passed most of the sports activities were taken over by different organizations but the derby stayed with the DAP where it has become the DAP Pushmobile Derby sponsored by the Delaware Association of Police and based out of it building at 2201 Lancaster Ave, in the City of Wilmington.

The By-Laws have been changed to meet today’s Police Departments.

The DAP still does numerous thing in the county, for different organizations or people by allowing them to use the DAP Hall at reduced rates for a fundraiser that are worthwhile. It only takes a member to present it at a meeting. No one has been turned down.