"It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out where the strong man stumbled, or where a doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, and who comes up short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause. The man who at best knows the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, fails while daring greatly, so that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who never knew victory or defeat."

                                                                                                                                       Teddy Roosevelt

     Ladies and gentlemen, such is the life of a police officer.  Sacrifice of self in pursuit of honorable service to others, in pursuit of fulfilling one’s obligation to the noblest of professions.  Day after day, shift after shift, call after call.  Surely, we have experienced occasions of failure and great sadness.  Most regrettably, those moments shall come upon us again, for perfection does not flow through our veins.  Nevertheless, do not allow those moments of distress to surface due to lack of passion.  Never let them trample upon the memories of achievement, the memories of a softly spoken “thank you”, or the memories of a pat on the back coupled with a “job well done”.  After all, honor lies within those who persevere for that which is just, no matter the likelihood of success.

     To our members, please take a moment to truly digest what the above words mean to you.  If you are an active-duty member, God bless you during your daily charge to protect our community.  If you are a retired member, thank you for your distinguished service and best of luck in whatever endeavors you may have recently undertaken.  To all members, please keep in mind that which binds us to one another…Fraternalism.  We face many exciting challenges daily, and I ask that you dedicate yourself to our Lodge just as you dedicate yourself to the community we protect. 

     To our visitors, I would like to thank you for visiting our website, and I hope that you find it informative.  I also encourage you to consider the above words, for it is all too often that we allow tremendous deeds to go unrecognized.  We, as a Lodge, represent the interests of the active-duty and retired police officers of the Burlington Township Police Department.  However, we also represent the very community that our individual members pledge to protect.  I welcome and encourage any visitor who wishes to participate in any of our numerous charitable and community oriented activities to contact our Lodge and/or visit our Associate Membership page.  In closing, please remember to save space in your thoughts and prayers for those members of a small society that run straight toward the mouth of danger when others run away.

Fraternally,

James B. Sullivan

President FOP Lodge 84