Amended: October 4, 2006
Section
1 This
organization shall be known as the:
National Internal Affairs Investigators Association
The purpose of the National Internal
Affairs Investigators Association shall be to develop and establish
professional standards of performance and integrity for Internal Affairs
investigators; to provide training to bring about professional growth and
development; to present a forum for discussion of common problems and current
court decisions; to gather and disseminate information regarding improved
administrative and technical practices; to assist law enforcement agencies in the
founding and continued development of Internal Affairs Investigative units; and
to foster law enforcement cooperation and the exchange of information and
experience among Internal Affairs investigators.
Article II
Section 1 Membership - Membership
in this Association shall consist of three classes: Active, Associate, and Honorary.
Active
Membership shall consist of sworn
municipal, county, state, and other law enforcement agency members who conduct
internal affairs investigations and/or provide direct review of the
investigations. The Executive Committee
shall approve candidates for membership.
Associate
Membership shall consist of
dues-paying individuals who have all the privileges of Active Membership,
except they shall not have the privilege to vote. Those eligible to apply for Associate
Membership shall include the following: Full-time police attorneys, members of
criminal justice training academies; members of criminal justice training and standards
commissions; members of an Attorney General's office; former active members
retired from law enforcement. Associate
membership shall not be extended to personnel engaged in for-hire services such
as merchant patrols, private detectives, security guards and similar
services. The Executive Committee shall
approve associate Membership.
Honorary
Membership shall consist of those
persons who have contributed substantially to the improvement and advancement
of the Association. An active or associate member may submit nominations of
persons for Honorary Membership to the Executive Committee for review and
approval. Honorary members shall be
appointed for life, unless excluded from membership by the Executive Committee.
Honorary Members shall be extended the same privileges as Associate Members,
but will not be charged dues.
Section 2 Voting - Only active members shall have the
right to vote and only one vote per department on issues shall be counted.
Member departments will be allowed to caucus for a few minutes before voting.
Section 1 Elected Officers of the Association -
The elected officers of the Association shall consist of a President, a Vice
President, a Secretary-Treasurer, and a Chaplain all of whom are active members
of the Association. They shall be
elected at the annual conference and shall assume their office at the
conclusion of the conference.
Section 2 The
term of office for the President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer and
Chaplain shall be two (2) years from the date of election.
Section 3 Nominations
for offices shall be made from the floor, by active members, at the annual
conference.
Section 4 If
a vacancy occurs in any office other than President during the term of office, the Executive Committee
shall fill it. A vacancy is deemed to have occurred when:
·
The office
holder notifies the President or Executive Committee that he or she is unable
to complete the term of office.
·
The office
holder is deceased.
·
The office
holder, by majority consent of the
Executive Committee is determined to be
incapable of completing the term of office because of medical reasons, gross
negligence or inefficiency, termination, suspension, or separation from his or
her employment, conviction of a serious misdemeanor or any felony, or for other
just cause.
Duties of Officers:
Section 1 President -
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association. In conducting meetings of the Association,
the president’s decision shall be final unless otherwise provided for by this
Constitution. The president’s decision
may be reversed by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the member agencies present at the
regular annual conference. The
president shall appoint pro-tem officers in cases of absentees. If in the opinion of the President, with the
approval of the Executive Committee, as occasions or circumstances shall
warrant calling a special meeting, he or she shall have the authority to call
such a meeting and shall notify the membership of the date, time and place of
such special meetings and the purpose of same.
The President shall be a member of all committees.
Section 2 Vice President - In cases of death, resignation, removal,
suspension, inability to serve or absence of the President, the Vice president shall
serve as president. The vice president shall be a member of all committees
Section 3 Secretary-Treasurer
- The Secretary-Treasurer shall collect all monies and, with approval of the
President, shall disperse any necessary funds, and make an accounting of such
funds at the regular annual conference.
He shall place all unexpended money in a fund to a credit of the
Association. He shall perform all other
duties required of him by the President of the Association. It shall be the duty of the Secretary-Treasurer
to keep a correct record of all proceedings of the Association and file all
documents and minutes relating thereto.
When a new Secretary-Treasurer is elected to the Association they shall
within sixty days after receiving the financial records will have an audit made
of that account. The results of that
audit will then be reported at the next regular meeting of the association
unless there is some irregularity. Should
there be some irregularity; the secretary-treasurer shall notify all the officers
and committee members immediately.
Section 4 Chaplain - The Chaplain shall open and close the
annual conference with prayer, and shall perform other benevolent duties
assigned by the association's officers and the Executive Committee
Section 1 Executive Committee - The Executive Committee
shall consist of the elected officers of the Association. In addition, there shall be a sufficient
number of members appointed to the Executive Committee to carry out the duties
of the Association. The term of the office of each appointed member shall be two (2) years, and each President, on
taking office, shall appoint eligible members to the vacant positions on the
Executive Committee. The retiring
President shall be a member of the Executive Committee for a period of two (2) years. Executive Committee members
must be either an Active, Associate or Honorary member of the Association.
The President shall act as the Chairman of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall, to the best of
their ability, act in the best interest of the membership and shall take all
necessary steps to promote, and support the purposes of this Association.
Section
2 Other Committees - The President shall have the power to appoint
such committees as may be necessary to carry on matters for the best interest
of the Association.
Section 1 There shall be an
annual conference, as set by the President and the Executive Committee, at a
place agreed upon by the Executive Committee and or the voting membership at
each annual conference. The Secretary
–Treasurer shall provide appropriate notice of each annual conference to the
membership. A quorum for the purpose of transacting business of the Association
shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of the active member agencies present at the
meeting.
Section 2 The
Executive Committee shall meet at the annual conference of the Association and
confer at least two (2) other times during the year, as called by the
President, or eight (8) members of the Committee. A majority of the Executive Committee shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Notice of these meetings shall be given at
least two (2) weeks in advance.
Article VII
Section 1 Amending
Constitution - In order that the Constitution be amended, two thirds (2/3) of
the member agencies assembled must vote in favor of the proposed
amendment. Amendments may be proposed by
the Executive Committee or by petition of fifteen percent (15%) of the active
member agencies.
Section 2 Changing
Bylaws - In order that the Bylaws of this Association be changed, a majority of
the member agencies assembled shall vote in favor of the proposed change.
Proposed changes may be made by the Executive Committee or by any active member
at the Annual Conference.
Section 1 The Executive Committee shall determine the yearly dues of this
Association.
Section 2 The
suggested order of business of the Association at the Annual Conference shall
be as follows:
1. Calling
the Association to order.
2. Roll
call of officers.
3. Reading
of minutes of previous meeting.
4. Bills
and communications.
5. Reports
of the Executive Committee.
6. Reports of special committees.
7. Old
business.
8. New
business.
9. Nomination and election of officers.
10. Adjournment.
Section 3 In
the event this Association should disband, all Association monies shall be
given to a non-profit law enforcement related organization with like or similar
purposes, and in no case shall any Association money
be given to or used for the benefit of any individual.