W C P A A A By-Laws

WESTERVILLE CITIZEN POLICE ACADEMY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

W C P A A A By-Laws

WESTERVILLE CITIZEN POLICE ACADEMY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I – NAME

Section 1 The name of the organization is “Westerville Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association” (WCPAAA), hereafter referred to as this “Association.”

ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this Association is:

Section 2.1 To function as an interactive support program between the Westerville Division of Police and the citizenry.

Section 2.2 To expand knowledge in the area of law enforcement, crime prevention, and public safety.

Section 2.3 To support events that are organized for the charitable and/or educational purposes that qualify under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.

Section 2.4 To support a police officer’s well-being and/or provide benevolent assistance to a police officer’s family.

Section 2.5 This Association’s statement of purpose shall be “Education, Commitment, Partnership.”

ARTICLE III – ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION

Section 3.1 This Association shall exist as a non-profit organization.

Section 3.2 This Constitutional By-Laws shall serve as the operations procedures for this Association.

Section 3.3 This Association shall use the calendar year (January 1 through December 31) for all purposes.

ARTICLE IV – POLICIES AND RESTRICTIONS

Section 4.1 “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall govern this Association in orders of business.

Section 4.2 This Association shall not, in any way, interfere in the policies, administration or procedures of the Westerville Division of Police. Neither shall this Association make decisions, which infringe upon, or are contrary to, the policies of the Westerville Division of Police.

Section 4.3 No part of the net earnings of this Association shall benefit or be distributable to, its trustees, officers, members or other private persons, except that this Association is authorized to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered, and to make payments and distribution in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article 2.

Section 4.4 This Association shall follow the guidelines set forth under Section 501 (c)(3) of the IRS Code of 1986, as amended (the Code) or (ii) to which contributions are deductible under Sections 170.2055 or 2522 of the Code.

Section 4.5 This Association shall not intervene (in any way), including the publishing and/or distribution of statements, in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office; or devote more than an insubstantial part of its activities to attempting to influence legislation by propaganda or otherwise.

Section 4.6 An annual meeting shall be held in December of each year to elect officers and conduct any business necessary for the transition of leadership.

Section 4.7 General meetings shall be scheduled at least eight (8) times each year, with the time and place to be determined by the Executive Board.

Section 4.8 All meetings are open to all members of the organization. Those members in good standing present at any general meeting shall constitute a quorum 21% of regular membership) for the official transaction of all business.

Section 4.9 The Executive Board shall meet for a minimum of two (2) meetings per year, unless otherwise determined, with the time and place to be determined by the Executive Board. Fifty percent (50%) constitutes a quorum of officers.

Section 4.10 Special meetings may be called by the President or other members of the Executive Board if there are at least seven (7) days advance notice given to all members of this Association.

Section 4.11 The President, ~~President-Elect~~, Secretary, and/or Treasurer are authorized to sign checks. Any checks in excess of $500.00 require two signatures.

ARTICLE V – MEMBERSHIP AND DUES

Section 5.1 Membership includes the following classifications.

Regular Only graduates of the Westerville Citizen Police Academy who have paid the annual dues are eligible for regular membership.

Associate Any retired Westerville Police Officer who wishes to join the Association.

Honorary Special recognition given to an individual who has contributed to the furtherance of this Association’s well-being. This membership category must be approved by the Executive Board.

Section 5.2 All applications for membership shall be acted upon by the Treasurer and submitted to the President-Elect for documentation on the Association website and forwarding to Community Services for filing.

Section 5.3 All graduates of the Westerville Citizen Police Academy shall be eligible for membership without regard to race, religion, sex, national origin, handicap or ancestry.

Section 5.4 Paid dues shall constitute regular membership effective upon payment until December 31 of the current year. Classes that graduate in October through December shall pay dues for the following year and shall become regular members in the current year.

Section 5.5 A regular member in good standing is defined as a person who has paid the current Association dues. Only regular members in good standing may occupy an elected office and participate in the business of this Association. Any members who plan to stand for office in the December elections shall have paid their membership dues by the time the Slate of Officers is approved. No more than one member of the same household shall serve on the Executive Board of this Association at the same time.

Section 5.6 Dues shall be set by the Executive Board and ratified by a majority vote of the regular membership.

Section 5.7 All members of this Association are required to conform to the Rules of Conduct for this Association.

Section 5.8 Any member of this Association may be suspended or expelled for violating the Rules of Conduct and/or for good cause shown by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board.

Section 5.9 Any regular member of this Association may call for an audit of this Association’s bank account, not to exceed one per calendar year. Furthermore, an audit shall be conducted at the change of each Treasurer.

Section 5.10 Associate members and Honorary members are gratis, non-voting members of this Association.

Section 5.11 An Executive Board member may be removed from the Executive Board by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VI – EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 6.1 Officers of this Association shall be:

President

President-Elect

Secretary

Treasurer

Program Officer

Publication Officer

Immediate Past–President (ex officio)

Member-at-Large

Section 6.2 The Executive Board shall consist of the eight members outlined in 6.1. The Executive Board may add other members as deemed necessary for the good of this Association.

Section 6.3 The Executive Board shall ensure that this Association follows all laws and regulations of the State of Ohio and United States Internal Revenue Code regarding not-for-profit organizations.

Section 6.4 The Executive Board may authorize a gift of up to $100.00 for a memorial or benevolent gift to a police officer and/or his family.

Section 6.5 An officer shall serve for a term of one (1) year with the exception of the President-Elect. The term for President-Elect is two years, one year as President Elect and the second year as President.

Section 6.6 An officer shall not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office. An exception may be made in the case of an unfilled position. If the previous officer is agreeable to remaining in office, the Executive Board reserves the right to reappoint said officer.

Section 6.6.1 In order to maintain a revitalization of the Executive Board, members who have been on the Executive Board for five consecutive years must take a break of at least two (2) years before standing for re-election.

Section 6.7

In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, for any reason, the President-Elect shall serve for the remainder of the term, and the requirements of section 6.5 shall be waived for that position for the remainder of the term.
In the event of a vacancy in the office of President-Elect, for any reason, the membership shall elect a replacement to serve for the remainder of the term at the next membership meeting, and the requirements of section 6.5 shall be waived for that position for the remainder of the term.
In the event of a vacancy in any other office on the Executive Board, for any reason, the President shall nominate a replacement to serve for the remainder of the term. This appointment shall be ratified by the Executive Board.

Section 6.8 Officers shall be elected at the annual meeting by a majority of the regular members present and submitted absentee ballots. Absentee votes shall be presented to an election committee member.

Section 6.8.1

Absentee ballots will be requested in writing to the election committee chair and sent out at least fourteen (14) days before the election.
Absentee votes must be received by the day prior to the election.
Absentee votes returned by mail must be signed by the member.
Absentee votes returned by email must come from a recognized member e-mail address.
Absentee votes must be verified and counted by the Election Committee.

Section 6.9 No election shall be held without notifying all regular members in writing a minimum thirty (30) days prior to the election.

Section 6.10 The President’s duties shall consist of:

developing meeting agendas and presiding at ~~all~~ meetings of this Association.
expounding and enforcing a due observance of the By-Laws and deciding all questions of order.
appointing all committees not otherwise provided for and filling all temporary vacancies with the advice and consent of the Executive Board.
presenting the views of this Association to the Westerville Division of Police liaison.
representing this Association at public affairs or assigning a delegate.
performing such other duties as the office may require.
signing checks on behalf of this Association.
presenting a summarized report of the past year’s activities at the annual meeting.
Immediately conduct an introductory board meeting after the election to further discuss roles and responsibilities in addition to the two mandatory meetings.

Section 6.11 The President-Elect’s duties shall consist of:

presiding in the absence of the President, assuming all his/her powers and duties.
serving as the Chairperson of the Membership Committee.
distributing new member packets to each graduating class member.

Section 6.12 The Secretary’s duties shall consist of:

keeping an accurate record of the minutes of all Executive Board and regular membership meetings.
sending out all notices of the Executive Board and special meetings.
sending letters of thanks to speakers, guests, etc. (in conjunction with the President).
~~sending reminders to members assigned special duties~~.
notifying persons and committee(s) affected by action taken by the Executive Board.
keeping an updated calendar of events and policy documentation.
answering correspondence promptly (in conjunction with the President and the Westerville Division of Police liaison).
keeping copies of all letters sent and received.
signing checks on behalf of this Association.
Attend monthly meetings and confirm a quorum at each meeting.

Section 6.13 The Treasurer’s duties shall consist of:

receiving all monies and depositing them in the name of this Association in a depository approved by the Executive Board.
keeping, in a book provided for the purpose, an account of financial transactions.
presenting regular financial statements and reporting active member dues received to the Executive Board and regular membership.
having the authority to pay all normal recurring expenses; all other expenses shall be approved by the Executive Board.
keeping the Executive Board members current with up-to-date listing of regular membership
at the expiration of the term of office, presenting a full accounting of the receipts and expenditures during said term in office, and handing over to the successor within twenty (20) days all books and monies belonging to this Association.
establishing an annual operating budget, which is subject to membership approval.
filing a 501c3 each fiscal year.
ensuring that all appropriate premiums have been paid for bonds and policies for the fiscal year.

Section 6.14 The Program Officer’s duties shall consist of:

organizing all educational and social activities with approval of the Executive Board.
making reservations for all meetings and activities.
Chair the Program Committee.
Subject budget proposal to the Treasure for social activities and events. i.e.: 4th Friday, member picnic, Christmas party, etc.

Section 6.15 The Publication Officer’s duties shall consist of:

publishing and distributing this Association’s newsletter to Association members, the WPD Chief, and current members of WPD Community Services personnel.
creating any news releases pertaining to any Association business and/or events upon the approval of the Executive Board and the Westerville Division of Police liaison.
Send meeting reminder notices.

Section 6.16 The Immediate Past President’s duties shall consist of:

advising the Executive Board at monthly meetings.
serving as the chairperson of the Election Committee.

The Immediate Past President has no voting rights on the Executive Board only.

Section 6.17 The Member-at-Large duties shall consist of:

representing the voice of the membership on the Executive Board.
maintaining an inventory/book of all WCPAAA Executive Board property items.
Maintain member volunteer hours.

ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES

Section 7.1 Standing Committees shall consist of Membership, Election, Program, Website, and By-Laws Committees. All committee chairpersons shall seek members to serve on their committees from the regular membership.

Section 7.2 The Membership Committee shall be chaired by the President-Elect. This committee shall be responsible for recruiting new and maintaining members for this Association, provided they meet the membership requirements outlined in Sec 5.1. The number of members on this committee shall be left to the discretion of the chairperson.

Section 7.3 The Election Committee shall be chaired by the Immediate Past-President and members shall be appointed by the Executive Board each year in September. The committee shall publish, distribute and collect the ballots at the annual meeting; supervise and count the votes, and present the results to the regular membership present. At that point the ballots shall be destroyed. Any member of the Election Committee who accepts nomination for office is deemed to have resigned from the Election Committee. The number of members on this committee shall be left to the discretion of the chairperson.

Section 7.4 The Program Committee shall be chaired by the Program Officer. The committee shall be responsible for Association educational and social activities, with the approval of the Executive Board. The committee shall make meeting place reservations for all activities and meetings. The number of members on this committee shall be left to the discretion of the chairperson.

Section 7.5 The By-Laws Committee chairperson shall be appointed by the President from the Executive Board and the committee shall have a minimum of three (3) members in good standing to serve on the committee. The By-Laws Committee shall be responsible for reviewing the By-Laws, and presenting to the Executive Board recommendations about By-Laws that need to be altered, amended, or repealed. The committee shall present to membership information and the means to vote on suggested changes to the By-Laws which have been endorsed by the Executive Board.

Section 7.6 The Web-Site Committee shall be chaired by a chairperson (Web-Master), chosen by the President and confirmed by the Executive Board, from the members in good standing of the Association. The Webmaster shall maintain the website in a responsible and accurate manner.

ARTICLE VIII – AMENDMENTS

Section 8.1 These By-Laws may be amended at any meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the regular membership present provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing to the Executive Board and thirty (30) days prior notice has been given to all regular members.

Section 8.2 Any amendment shall become effective on the date approved by the regular membership. Amendments shall list the date of approval by membership.

Section 8.3 Once the By-Laws have been amended and approved, they shall not be amended for six (6) months.

ARTICLE IX – DISSOLUTION

Section 9.1 This Association, having been formed for the purposes stated in Article 2, may be dissolved by a vote of two/thirds majority vote of the regular membership of this Association.

Section 9.2 A vote to dissolve this Association shall occur only at a regular scheduled meeting of this Association and only upon all members of this Association being notified in writing of such questions, thirty (30) days prior to the next meeting.

Section 9.3 Upon dissolution of the Association, any assets remaining shall be disposed of for the purposes of this Association or shall be deposited into the Community Services Fund of the Westerville Division of Police, after all expenses of the Association have been paid.

Amendment April 4, 2023

Adopted by the Executive Board action this date:

Adopted by the General Membership this date:

Signed this day of 2023.

President: Rich Dahn

Secretary: Carol Schroeder

Chair By-Law Committee: Kim Millington

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Amendment 2019-01 (Signed Version on File)

Adopted by the Executive Board action this date: January 2nd, 2019.

Adopted by the General Membership this date: January 2nd, 2019.

Signed this 6th day of February 2019

President: Suzanne Larson

Secretary: Ray McFarland

Chair By-Law Committee: Christina Sidebottom