Roosevelt Poplar will take over as John McNesby leaves the Philly FOP

The Philadelphia police officers’ union has a new boss.

Roosevelt Poplar, a longtime vice president at the union, will succeed John McNesby as president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, the organization announced Friday. It said he was unanimously elected by the FOP’s board of directors.

Poplar, the union’s first Black president in at least several decades, has served on its executive board for 21 years, the lodge said. With a reserved, almost low-key demeanor, he is expected to be less bombastic than McNesby, who sometimes sparked controversy during his 16-year run as FOP president.

Poplar “brings with him a tireless work ethic and a wealth of knowledge and experience,” the union said in a statement it posted on social media, adding that he has also been a police officer for 33 years.

McNesby is moving on to become the director of local public safety outreach at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, a spokesperson said. Neither he nor Poplar was made available for an interview to discuss the transition. McNesby’s last day at the FOP is Nov. 10.

Poplar’s new job will come with challenges. The city will elect a new mayor next week, meaning Poplar will have to make inroads with a new administration once the next mayor takes office in January. (Democrat Cherelle Parker is considered a significant favorite over Republican David Oh.)

The new mayor is also expected to bring some degree of change to the Police Department, including by appointing a permanent police commissioner. In the past, commissioners have sparred with the union over issues including discipline and the grievance process.

The union’s current contract with the city will end next June, meaning Poplar and his lodge will be tasked with bargaining over issues including salaries and benefits.

There is also the issue of staffing. The Police Department is hundreds of officers short of its target levels of 7,400 employees, and the problem is expected to get worse before it gets better due to impending retirements and a lack of recruits. Just last month, McNesby and other city officials — including Interim Commissioner John Stanford — signed on to a letter asking the state to relax reading and fitness requirements for police recruits, saying the city in the coming years could be short 1,000 officers.

The FOP represents more than 13,000 active and retired officers, and in recent years has sought to expand its influence by endorsing candidates in local political contests, sometimes with mixed success. During his long run atop the organization, McNesby became a prominent and controversial local figure, vocally defending officers, securing them raises and benefits, and, in recent years, serving as one of District Attorney Larry Krasner’s most prolific public critics.

In McNesby’s new role — which comes with a salary of about $105,000 — he will be “focused on interfacing with local public safety agencies on a daily basis to build relationships and foster collaboration,” according to Ruth Miller, a spokesperson for the state’s emergency management agency.

“During emergencies and other disasters, he will be focused on working with the public safety organizations involved in the response to ensure there is an efficient flow of information between all levels of government and that PEMA can rapidly respond to any needs that cannot be met by local or county government,” Miller said.

The job was newly created by Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration, she added. McNesby and the FOP consistently endorsed Shapiro’s bids for statewide office — first for attorney general, then for governor. And, after Shapiro’s gubernatorial victory last year, he appointed McNesby to serve on his transition team.