FOP Laurel Maryland, Lodge 11 Inc.

04/28/2026

At the conclusion of the April 27 Laurel City Council meeting, city officials and representatives from Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 11 signed a new collective bargaining agreement. Unlike previous CBAs, which covered three-year periods, the new agreement will cover the next four years, through 2030, at the request of the FOP. Mayor Sydnor thanked all involved in the negotiations for reaching agreement, sometimes requiring concessions and compromises. Laurel Police Chief Russ Hamill echoed those remarks and stressed how dedicated Laurel’s police officers are—he revealed that some of them had to leave the council meeting earlier to respond to a call involving violence. “They didn’t stall or think about what could happen to them.” Hamill also noted that, exactly 19 years earlier, he had responded to a call in which a police colleague lost his life in the line of duty. “This is what police do, for YOU. This contract allows us to stay competitive when recruiting additional officers.”

10/21/2025

The members of the FOP Laurel Maryland, Lodge 11 Inc. sent out a list of questions to candidates running for City Council. Each candidate had an opportunity to write their responses to the membership about topics related to crime and safety, collective bargaining, officer retention and recruitment, and their vision for the city.

Today the FOP held a general membership meeting. After lengthy debate, the FOP voted to endorse the following candidates:

Council Ward 1: Adrian Simmons (Vote Adrian for Laurel)
and James Kole (Kole For Council)
Council Ward 2: Kyla Clark (Kylaclarkforlaurel)
Council At-Large: Christine Johnson

The Police Department faces many challenges ahead, and we look forward to working with these council members to address them together.

For more information on how and where to cast your vote on November 4th please visit https://www.cityoflaurel.org/188/Elections-and-Voter-Registration

11/28/2024

The big boss, Keith Sydnor for Mayor, took the time to come by the station and thank officers for their work during this Thanksgiving while they are away from their families.

Officer Haller-Kaplan, a prolific baker, baked a pumpkin pie and a sweet potato pie for the team (and like 137 other desserts). But we enlisted Mayor Sydnor to help settle the age-old debate as to which is the better Thanksgiving dessert pie. Turns out… it’s both! A true man of the people.

We thank the Mayor for his continued support of the men and women of the Laurel Police Department!

10/27/2023

The members of the FOP Laurel Maryland, Lodge 11 Inc. held a candidate forum on 9/19/23. All registered candidates for both Mayor and City Council were invited to attend. Each candidate had an opportunity to speak with membership about topics related to crime and safety, collective bargaining, officer retention and recruitment, and their vision for the city.

Immediately following the forum, membership held a meeting and voted on which candidates to endorse. After lengthy debate, the FOP voted to endorse the following candidates:

Mayor: Keith Sydnor (Keith Sydnor for Mayor)

Council Ward 1: Carl Dewalt and James Kole (Kole For Council)

Council Ward 2: Kyla Clark (Kylaclarkforlaurel) and Melvin Lindsley

Council At-Large: Adrian Simmons (Wallace and Simmons for Laurel City Council)

We believe these candidates will work hand in hand with the FOP to help achieve our shared goals of making the city a great employer and a safe community in which to live.

The general election is on November 7th and early voting is held on November 4th. For more details on how to register and how to vote, please visit https://www.cityoflaurel.org/clerk/elections-and-voter-registration

10/27/2021

10/15/2021

Last year, when the Defund the Police movement started gaining momentum, I was one of the first leaders in America to speak out loudly against it and to completely reject the idea.

Trying to reduce crime by defunding the police is dangerous, radical, far-left lunacy. Thinking that you can improve law enforcement by defunding the police is like saying that you want to improve education by defunding our schools. It’s absurd and ridiculous.

The reality is that our police are underfunded and under attack. To reverse the tide of rising crime, we need to stop demonizing and sabotaging the dedicated men and women who risk their lives every single day to keep the rest of us safe.

I can tell you that the State of Maryland will not defund the police while I’m governor. Instead, we intend to re-fund the police.

Today, I announced the first in a series of announcements regarding initiatives to do just that, beginning with the investment of an additional $150 million of increased support for our police, and for increased crime control, and victim protection services all across the state.

Learn more here: https://governor.maryland.gov/2021/10/15/re-fund-the-police-governor-hogan-announces-150-million-initiative-to-increase-support-for-law-enforcement-crime-control-and-victim-protection-efforts/

10/15/2021

Thank you to all the candidates who gave their time to participate in the city council candidate forum this evening. The brothers and sisters of FOP Lodge 11 have voted to endorse the following candidates for the 2021 Laurel City Council election:

Ward 1:
The membership voted to not endorse any candidates due to the fact that it is an uncontested race.

Ward 2:
Mr. Sydnor
Mr. Smith

At Large:
Mr. Smalls

Once again, thank you to all candidates and members who took the time to participate in this forum to have an open dialogue about important issues to our membership and city. We look forward to continuing our long standing working relationship with the Mayor and City Council of Laurel!

04/10/2021

Statement from President Boatwright on Governor Hogan's veto of SB71 and SB178.

Please stand with the men and women of law enforcement and ask your legislator to sustain Governor Hogan’s veto of SB 71 and SB 178. These are important votes that will help those who keep Maryland safe and protect our families, friends, and neighbors.

https://keepmarylandsafe.com/take-action/

Senator Sarah Elfreth Senator William C. Smith, Jr. Senator Guy Guzzone Katie Fry Hester, Maryland Senate D9 Senator Kathy Klausmeier Michael A. Jackson Sen. Cheryl C. Kagan Senator Ron Young Senator Pam Beidle Senator Joanne C. Benson

03/11/2021

03/07/2021

The FOP agrees that law enforcement officers must be fairly and transparently accountable for their actions. They must also feel physically and mentally safe, secure and supported in order to provide the best service and protection to the communities they serve.

The below results reflect what is happening in our department and others: good officers are leaving the profession at rates never before experienced.

We have had 8 officer and 4 cadet resignations since January 1, 2021. Currently there are 44 vacancies and 19 others have submitted their notice to retire. More officers are expected to give notice of intent to retire.