FOP #165

03/10/2026

Fantastic woman and we are proud to have her apart of our FOP as well. Keep doing you Tracy.

10/28/2025

Greetings my friends,
As most all of you know that my son Justin was involved in a hit and run crash on his motorcycle on September 15th. The other driver hit him head on and left him for dead, without a care or concern. That driver was later found and arrested for a number of felony charges. Unfortunately that driver was operating without a drivers license or insurance.
Justin has had multiple surgeries and still has minor surgeries ahead, but is on the mend and doing well. The real road to recovery is going to be the financial one ahead.
I am extremely thankful and pleased to announce that my dear friends at Marina Shores Yacht Club are having a fundraiser for Justin to help raise money for those medical bills that will be coming in. The fundraiser is on November 14th from 6p to 9p, and includes food. There will be a cash bar and various basket raffles available as well.
If any of you are able to help out by purchasing a ticket for the event, it would be greatly appreciated and would go a long way to help Justin with that road to recovery.
Tickets are $50 each. PM me to set up ticket purchases. Also share with anyone that you think would be willing to donate and attend as well.
Thank you in advanced for all of the continuous support that you all have provided to Justin through out this entire ordeal.

NOTE: I can take payments through Venmo for anyone that wishes to do that. Just message me and I will send the request.

Thank you - Gene Hopkins

10/17/2025

It was with great pleasure Porter County FOP #165 selected the Caring Place for this year’s beneficiary of our annual ride. Thank You to Lodge members, Ride Committee, Donors, Riders and all of those who purchased tickets.

Thank you so much to the FOP for choosing The Caring Place be the recipient of their 4th Annual Benefit Ride. 🫶

09/18/2025

Congratulations to Officer Aaron Estrada for being selected for Albert's Diamond Jewelers Hometown Heroes program!

Thank you to Albert’s for recognizing Law Enforcement in our Region! Officer Estrada was selected by his peers as the “Outstanding Officer” that should receive this award for 2025.

FOP #165 would like to echo the words of the many of the officers that voted for Officer Estrada, acknowledging the hard work he puts fourth while proactively pursuing those committing crimes in Porter County everyday. Congratulations Officer Estrada!

09/14/2025

Another successful year!

Through the rain and sunshine, we had another successful FOP #165 benefit ride. So many riders came out and weathered the storm for a great cause and we would like to say THANK YOU. We would also like to send a special thanks to the Porter County Sheriff’s Office and Valparaiso Police Dept for providing an es**rt to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Thank you to Porter County Sheriff Balon for continuing the support for these benefit rides throughout the years.

Thank you to the Portage Texas Roadhouse for showing up at registration and providing coupons while cheering the riders on. Thank you to all of our hosts starting with Valparaiso Harley Davidson, Holley’s, The Peak, Woodshed Tap and Cronies.

Once all proceeds are collected, FOP #165 will be presenting The Caring place with a check at our next annual meeting on October 13th!

09/10/2025

3 days away!!!!!! Weather is set to be great. We have had a good number of pre sale tickets sold already! Remember you can purchase the tickets before or at the event. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Caring Place

HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE THERE!

08/22/2025

3 Weeks away! We are still selling pre-sale tickets for a great event. 100% of the money raised will go to The Caring Place! This is a great organization that has served Porter County for years by helping victims of Domestic Violence and their families.

Please reach out and contact us if you are interested in pre-sale tickets or you can show up and buy the morning of. Hope to see everyone there!

08/08/2025

A great ride is taking place tomorrow if you are bored and want to have a good time in great weather!

Pre sale tickets are sold out, but riders can pay at the door and enjoy the ride, food, and music! Hope to see you there.

08/02/2025

FOP #165 has completed its 33rd consecutive Cops for Kids event since we started doing it in 1992!!!! We had had the opportunity to provide 101 kids in Porter County with their back to school supplies at the Valparaiso Walmart this morning.

We would like to THANK the Valparaiso Walmart for always allowing us to utilize their store for this great event. This year a special visitor paid a visit and was a giant fan favorite. Porter drew a lot more attention than years past.

07/17/2025

We are pleased to announce we had the opportunity to hand out a check to one of the two Timothy Hecht Scholarship recipients at our July meeting. Congratulations to our winners, Owen Gilbert and Fredrick Gaetz!

On behalf of the FOP #165, we wish these young men well in their future Criminal Justice endeavors.

07/01/2025

We are excited to announce the 2025 benefit ride committee has finalized the 2025 Benefit Ride details. Attached to this is the tickets we are selling for entry to the event as well as the raffle for a G***k 43x. You do not need to be present for the raffle, however, we will have more raffles before, during and after the ride if you are interested in 50/50 raffles or a mini flamethrower! The recipient of the money raised will be The Caring Place. Due to state cuts, their organization will be receiving less funding from the state moving forward. Anyone who has worked in our field long enough understands that The Caring Place is a vital tool in the communities support for domestic violence and sexual assault victims.

If you are interested in attending the ride or just simply purchasing tickets for the raffle, please contact President Dave Murray (219-771-4422) or Vice President Jason Praschak (219-405-7915). If you are willing to help sell tickets, please contact us and we will provide you with the amount you believe you can sell. Please notice the back of the ticket has the four stops we will have that day. You will receive a unique stamp at each stamp to enter another raffle at our final stop.

NOTE: If you are only entering the raffle for the G***k 43x, you must purchase the ticket at the Rider amount of $25.