The Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, the state's largest police union, is supporting backers of a controversial proposal to build four casinos in Ohio's biggest cities. On Tuesday, the FOP of Ohio said that it supports a proposed casino-related constitutional amendment that will be brought to voters in November. Penn National Gaming Inc. along with Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert are behind the $1 billion plan to develop casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, and Cincinnati.

The FOP has 24,000 members in Ohio. In 2008 they opposed a plan to build a casino in Wilmington, a ballot proposition that ultimately failed. They said that the Wilmington proposal was "fraught with loopholes", but believe that tax revenue allocations in the latest plan will provide money that could fund municipal government services, including police and fire protection.

FOP treasurer Mark Drum said in a statement:

“These are tough economic times for Ohio’s cities and counties. We are seeing communities all over the state struggle with declining revenues that have forced them to face cuts in their public safety forces.”

The union is planning to form a coalition to air its support, dubbed "Cops for Casinos".

The FOP endorsement comes just two weeks after the casino proposal passed a major legal hurdle, as the Ohio Supreme Court threw out a challenge to referendum signatures. This cleared the way for the proposal to head to the ballot this fall.