FOP VP candidate James Coolen

08/22/2025

I will admit when I’m wrong

08/16/2025

I’ve seen a lot of talk about “good contract” but can someone point out how you see it. You know other then regurgitating the same nonsense put out in the letter patting themselves on the back? If you want to see through the smoke and mirrors and the 15% over three years nonsense go to the award section. Dont be fooled by the shell game of words. Longevity, stress you already had. What you got was 3% and 3%! The national cost of living increase per year is 2.7 % for christ sake. Any other job out there gets that as cost of living increase without union representation. Somehow you risking your life and putting up with all the Philly nonsense is worth about .3 % a year and you are ok with that? You were just awarded a s**t sandwich and are thanking them for it. Also try to keep in mind your 6% increase in two years while the board gave themselves a just about 100% increase in one year! Of all the steps on the contract can you point out theirs? The 30yr step listed is $112,000! Lol they are over $200,000+!! You cant see that! Lol RETIREES! well you know where you stand. You do not matter, I don’t know what can make it more clear. You are constantly told we can’t fight for retirees but they can certainly collect your union dues which in essence give you a great place to hang, well if you can afford it with your 1995 pension. They say retirees dont fall under the contract negotiations and basically tell you they are powerless and can do nothing. Of course theyvtake full credit for Eliminating windfall but if you followed that fight began in 1983 about two weeks after it was enacted. But all other state or national retiree matters they can do nothing. Somehow amazingly all power was dumped into Wep! Come on! Here’s my suggestion. Retiree dues go to ONLY retiree benefits. Frankly retirees should have their own chapter. A small board that functions solely for them. The roughly 6000 active guys dues can pay the current boards overinflated salaries, pay the percentage towards their additional 401K % and I would go a step further and say if you are retired and overjoyed with current leadership and what they do for you, by all means you should have the option to stay. The retiree chapter fundraisers, revenue generating sources would all stay within the confines of the chapter. 2-4 member board in a full time position whos salary will be voted on by the members. A break down of all expenditures and transactions for all to see. Retiree chapter will still make payments to national and state fop as is done now but have their own governing body for their needs. Sounds great doesn’t it?

This is fantasy of course because it will never happen with this current board. Just pay your dues and dare not ask questions. Like it or else! Now take another bite!

08/12/2025

07/06/2025

Vote for change guys. It’s really that simple

06/24/2025

I’m going to let you guys get a glimpse of how little of a man some are. I’m sure you have all heard the attacks on the other candidates by now. The statements on how a current VP will destroy marriages, careers and reputations. How he’s trying to provoke people into knocking his ass out so he can get them locked up. He’s made fake pages, called other candidates racist, you name it he’s tried it. If you know me then you know the man I am. I don’t barely go out but with my close knit friends, I work A LOT. I love my wife and family a great deal and all I do I do for them.

Well some time back when I announced I was going to run, First the articles of my work incident began popping up everywhere and making their rounds on social media. I addressed it and honestly it was no big deal and again if you know me and you were an actual cop you know how that went down. Then I started getting random texts, random Facebook requests and just all around childish BS. Once again as I’m still in Georgia, getting eaten by bugs and dying in the heat, lol, this happened again. I’m going to share it with you so you can see how he will try anything to get any dirt he can to slander someone. Remember this is all because an election is coming and hes petrified to lose his spot. Honestly I think it makes him look more pathetic than he already is. I got a text from an unknown number saying he was someone i knew but I have no clue who he was. I knew almost immediately it was fake but figured I would play along to see what was said. The end of the messages I sent a screenshot back of a message I received the day after I announced I was running however it was the same pic but called me chuck. I’m guessing he forgot he used that one already. The thing is this. This person is who you have representing you! You can’t possibly want that to be the guy in your corner when s**t happens. He’s pathetic and doesn’t care about the members. He’s interested in one thing and one thing only, himself. Do you know why you can’t find a soul that likes him? It’s because of this. He stabs everyone in the back. Even his current president. Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing kids. When the election arrives do yourself and the rest of the department a favor and vote Coolen for your VP and the hand pick the rest of your leaders. I can’t run against just one person or I would. The top four VPs get in. So hand select me then pick three others you know are reliable and have your best interests at heart. Many great candidates already there and great ones on the tickets. Make a wise choice. No one wants this guy there anymore. You guys can really make the difference in selecting individuals you want to back you. My independent run gives the opportunity for you to select individuals you know rather then a whole ticket where you may not like the entire group. Help me make a difference.

06/16/2025

Guys and girls I apologize for my absence and will be back next week. I’ve been in the Georgia/Alabama area with work for about 5 weeks now. Here’s what has changed. I’ve lost some weight, Elon and Trump were fighting. My grandson got some more teeth and he’s almost walking.

Here’s some things that haven’t changed. Your “transparent FOP VP still has not produced the credit cards Kenny has asked for in five requests, FOP VP has had meetings with others telling them to withhold information. (Your info that every member is entitled to). The current President has not asked this VP to step down due to his actions and statements to the other candidates running. National FOP was advised and told Kenny to file a complaint with the very lodge his complaint is against! The forensic audit still not been done. Your Past President reposted a Poplar team post on May 31 highlighting some of the current members like John McGrody, Steve Weiler, Scott Bradley and Yvette Clark all of whom are great people. There are others as well who I think do a great job for the members. Did you notice the absence of the one current VP? Do you notice how you never hear the great things he’s performing? With All of the things that you are hearing, is that someone you want to represent you? One that threatens other members for literally asking for what is suppose to be transparent? Why hide it if all of what you do is on up and up. Why, in his own words “destroy marriages, careers and reputations”? Why have private meetings literally telling people to deny at every turn? Making statements like “if they come for the king they best not miss!” In this upcoming election you guys have a major decision on your hands. You need to decide what people have your best interests at heart or are only concerned about themselves. New blood is needed at the fop to get things moving in the right direction. One bad apple can always ruin a bunch. All I’m asking is use your head accordingly. In this election you have a rare opportunity to make change. Fop elections don’t come around that often. This is the first in my career. You have some great tickets and individuals running that I believe will fight for the members. I know you hear a lot about experience and although most cops fear change please keep in mind they had a day one as well and stepped into their original FOP role with none. When a transition occurs you take the great pieces and things that work and move them forward and add the change needed to eradicate the things that don’t. As a member your voice should count as much as any board member. Your input should be valued. You need to break away from complacency and hand pick your new leaders. Change is needed and you have the power to ignite it. Please select Me as your Vice President and then hand pick the rest of your chosen leaders. (Lots of good ones out there) see you all at the next meeting!

05/28/2025

Just to give you an idea of what the current admin of your FOP does to its own members. This is a Fake page set up by a current VP in hopes the one person that may like him approves. This isn’t someone you should have representing you. Clearly his interests are his own and not yours. Come election make the change needed. Please elect yours truly as Vice President. You know me, you know my family name. I will fight for you, I will work hard and give you a voice. Guys like this are lower then low. What I believe in is karma and I know this guys days are numbered. Vote Coolen and select you remaining leaders. We need change

Listen I wanted to add to this in all fairness. You have some guys on the current board that do a great job and shouldn’t be lumped in this. That’s why I ask when you vote just use your head. If there are guys you like that are currently there then by all means select them individually. My independent run allows you to handpick your leaders. You would select me and then you can bounce from ticket to ticket if you would like and hand select who you think would fill the position the best. You have many great people to choose from. We need change and only you guys can make that happen. Vote wisely.

05/27/2025

Great news from several people texting me from the meeting tonight. They have gone back to the bi laws and the eligibility date has been reinstated and I will now be able to be eligible for my Independent VP run! I’m back in the fight! Let’s get the change that’s needed!

05/26/2025

Good morning all and Happy Memorial Day. This post is one of regret. I’m away in Georgia for work and will be until after the first week of June. Unfortunately with missing the last three meetings the current math dictates that I will not have my eligibility requirements for my 10 meetings required to run for Vice President of the FOP.. I believe in the by laws, and it’s listed in the by laws as August being the deadline but the last notice I received had the FOP changing the date to the end of June. Being at just about every meeting it was stated I could not run as an independent I don’t foresee any relief coming from the very office that’s suppose to fight for me. So here we are. I will continue with meetings once I return and would like to be involved with fighting for the retiree and all members moving forward in some capacity. However Kenny Rossiter will be picking up my reigns and making the independent run. Kenny is passionate and revealing an FOP that I believe needs an injection of fresh blood to get back to the ideals originally intended. Change is definitely needed so please don’t lose sight of that. You have great candidates to choose from and all are after that change that I feel is drastically needed. You need an FOP that’s working for you in all aspects. Not one that’s fighting for you on the surface but really only interested in looking out for their own financial gain. You have a Vice President that came out against candidates saying they would ruin marriages, careers and reputations!!!! The very person whose job it is to fight for you found his own self interests so overwhelmingly he’s willing to make statements like that?? This is beyond troubling on many levels. That shouldn’t be what represents you. Frankly the current admin should have him step down. If he won’t then you guys should come the election. You do not HAVE to select and entire ticket. You can hand select your leaders. I’m asking for you to make the change that is needed at the FOP. You have the power to do something rarely done. You can choose your representatives. This happens maybe once a career. Don’t be complacent and leave things business as usual. Make your voice heard. Hand pick your leaders.

05/19/2025

Our FOP needs a change. Of all my time on the job and now into my retirement I cannot remember it ever being this bad. The stuff that’s transpiring and being unveiled is absurd. A VP trying to intimidate people? A member getting hot for a request to see his expenditures on the union card? Last I checked the union is for all members and not only a few select individuals.

Intimidation, fake texts, fake Facebook accounts, and manufactured hostility are just signs of fear. Fear of truth being revealed and they will stop at nothing to keep up that veil. These individuals are trying to get people to react so they can ruin you one way or another, your VP admitted to it! Ruin marriages, ruin careers, ruin reputations? All because an election is coming up?

When I first mentioned my run as VP out came my incident which I could care less about because everyone who knows me knows what that was. All real cops who actually worked know! Kenny spoke up and out comes a fake page and posts and more slander along with bashing him at just about every meeting. Knute announced his Presidential run and they smear and slander him, go after Eddie his Vp with more bulls**t, same with Joe Coyle and his announcement for running. Doesn’t this show you what certain individuals are made of? Any cop that reads this knows who I am and what I’m about. You won’t get smiles from me to your face and then a knife in your back when you turn around. I call things as I see them. If i dont like you, you know it and same if we are friends. I hate fake. I don’t entertain rumors, I like to hear it from the source rather than all the bs back and forth.

Roosevelt as the President should not want this VP as a representative of his administration. I mean I get it, Roosevelt is in a difficult position being these guys were his co workers and not his hand picked ticket. He showed loyalty by leaving the admin in place as he took the reins but with it came all it was hitched to, the good and bad. Myself along with many other will be curious as to what transpires next. I don’t know Roosevelt personally but as the President he should have his VP step down. To the others on the board who have been lumped into this negativity because of a few bad apples I feel for you. To my friends there, you know who you are, you serve this membership well and those of us that know applaud all you do for us. New blood needs to be injected and the cancer cut away. I would love the chance to sit down with President Poplar and discuss my intentions one on one. Regardless of the outcome of an election a change needs to happen. Air needs to be clear, mistakes happen yes, those mistakes should be corrected. Transparency shouldn’t be the cry of all that are running but should be the goal of the current administration as well. No one is infallible but when you have problems staring you in the face and you don’t correct it then you become culpable and others mistakes become your own. Vote for change. Vote for Coolen for VP