KPOA Constitution & Bylaws

Section 1.	The Elective Officers of this Association shall be: President, President Elect, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer and a Sergeant-At-Arms, all of whom shall hold their respective Office for the term of one (1) year. All officers may be reelected except the President may not succeed himself.

Section 2.	HOW ELECTED. The President, President Elect, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer and Sergeant-At-Arms shall be elected by written ballot at the Fall Business Meeting of this Association by receiving the greatest number of votes cast. All said Officers shall be Active Members in good standing. Any nominee for the Office of President, President Elect and Vice-President must have served on the Board of Governors. Prior Membership on the Board of Governors shall not be required for nomination of the Sergeant-At-Arms. A Member shall be limited to three consecutive terms as Sergeant-At-Arms.

Section 3.	In the event of a vacancy occurring in the Office of President, the Vice-President shall act as President Pro Tem for the remainder of the term of Office, after which he/she reverts to his/her Office as Vice-President and is eligible for election as President Elect. Should a vacancy occur in the Office of President Elect or Vice-President, the Office shall remain vacant until the next immediate election, at which time a new Vice-President or President Elect shall be elected.

Section 4.	For the purpose of District Governors, the State of Kansas shall be divided into eight (8) Districts. DISTRICT ONE shall consist of the following Counties: Atchison, Doniphan, Douglas, Franklin, Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami, Wyandotte and Jefferson. DISTRICT TWO shall consist of the following Counties: Brown, Jackson, Lyon, Marshall, Nemaha, Osage, Pottawatomie, Riley, Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Geary, Morris and Chase. DISTRICT THREE shall consist of the following Counties: Clay, Cloud, Dickinson, Ellsworth, Jewell, Lincoln, Marion, McPherson, Mitchell, Ottawa, Republic, Rice, Saline and Washington. DISTRICT FOUR shall consist of the following Counties: Cheyenne, Decatur, Ellis, Gove, graham, Logan, Norton, Osborne, Phillips, Rawlins, Rooks, Russell, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Thomas, Trego and Wallace. DISTRICT FIVE shall consist of the following Counties: Clark, Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Kearny, Lane, Meade, Morton, Ness, Scott, Seward, Stanton, Stevens and Wichita. DISTRICT SIX shall consist of the following counties: Barber, Barton, Comanche, Edwards, Harper, Kingman, Kiowa, Pawnee, Pratt, Reno, Rush, Stafford. DISTRICT SEVEN shall consist of the following Counties: Sedgwick, Harvey, Sumner, Butler and Cowley. DISTRICT EIGHT shall consist of the following Counties: Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, Linn, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson and Woodson.

Section 5.	BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Section 5A.	DISTRICT GOVERNORS To qualify for this elected position, an individual must be an Active Member as described in Article II, MEMBERSHIP, Section 2, EXCEPT that the individual shall be an active, full-time commissioned law enforcement officer or a member of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center as described under Article II, MEMBERSHIP, Section 2, at the time of election. Three (3) District Governors shall be elected from each District. One of those three (3) elected shall be a municipal police officer. One shall be an officer of a sheriff's department. One shall be an officer of any other law enforcement agency or a member of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. District Governors shall be elected by a majority ballot of the Active Membership of their respective Districts at the Fall Business Meeting.

Section 5B.	GOVERNORS-AT-LARGE To qualify for this appointed position an individual must be an active member as described in Article II, MEMBERSHIP, Section 2, EXCEPT that the individual shall be an active full-time commissioned law enforcement officer or a member of the Kansas law Enforcement Training Center as described under Article II, MEMBERSHIP, Section 2, at the time of the appointment, and EXCEPT that the immediate Past-President shall be appointed by the President as a Governor-At-Large. Three more Governors-At-Large, in addition to the immediate Past-President, shall be appointed by the President.

Section 5C.	SERGEANT-AT-ARMS GOVERNOR The Sergeant-At-Arms, by virtue of that office, shall be a Member of the Board of Governors.

Section 5D.	GOVERNORS-EMERITUS To qualify for this position an individual must have previously attained Life Member status either as a result of having been so elected at an Annual Meeting of the Association or by having served as President of the Association. Governors-Emeritus shall enjoy all the rank and privileges of all other Members of the Board of Governors. They shall express their desire annually to serve as Governor-Emeritus through a letter to the Secretary-Treasurer by July 1 each year. If so desired, the Chief Executive Officers may limit the number of Governors-Emeritus in any given year to twelve.
	EXECUTIVE BOARD DEFINED

Section 6.	The Elective Officers and the Governors shall constitute an Executive Board to transact such business as may arise between meetings.

	CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS DEFINED

	The Chief Executive Officers (C. E. O.) shall include the President, President Elect, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer and the Immediate Past President.

Section 6A.	FILING OF CANDIDATES. Candidates for the Offices of President, President Elect, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer and Sergeant-At-Arms must file a letter of intent with the Secretary-Treasurer not later than July 1 of the current year. Within thirty (30) days, the Secretary-Treasurer shall notify the Executive Committee of the names of the candidates for the various offices. Candidates for the offices listed above may not be nominated from the floor unless all previously registered candidates for an office have withdrawn or been disqualified prior to the election or none have filed for that office prior to July 1 of that current year. A candidate to be nominated from the floor under these conditions must appear at the Executive Committee meeting prior to the election, to present their credentials.

Section 7.	TO CONDUCT AN ELECTION. The written ballots shall be prepared and distributed as directed by the Executive Committee within the guidelines set forth by the Policy and procedure Manual. Members present shall present their current membership card, or have membership verified by the current KPOA roster for the calendar year in which the election is held prior to receiving a ballot. All ballots distributed to the voting membership shall be placed in a ballot box prior to the start of tabulation or they will not be accepted. In the event of a tie, the tiebreaker will be by a toss of a coin by the current Sergeant-At-Arms in the presence of all the nominees.

Section 8.	TERM OF OFFICE. Terms of Office of all persons elected at the Fall meeting shall be for one (1) year and commence at the adjournment of such meeting.

Section 9.	QUALIFICATION FOR ELECTION TO PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT ELECT AND VICE-PRESIDENT. To qualify for these elected positions, an individual must be an active Member as described in Article II, MEMBERSHIP, Section 2, EXCEPT that the candidate shall be an active full-time commissioned law enforcement officer or a Member of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center as described under Article II, MEMBERSHIP, Section 2, at the time of election.

Section 10.	LIFE MEMBERSHIP Nomination for Life Membership shall be made in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer no later than July 1 of the current year. The Secretary-Treasurer shall present the letters of recommendation in the next scheduled Executive Officers meeting. The Executive Committee shall approve or reject the nominations and submit those approved to the Association, to be voted upon by secret, written ballot, with no more than one (1) Life Membership being granted in any one (1) year, with the exception that the immediate Past President shall receive a Life Membership. Nomination for Life Membership shall be made in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer no later than July 1 of the current year. Any Member may be elected a Life Member at the Annual meeting of the Association by receiving the greatest number of affirmative votes cast by those Members present and voting. Such affirmative votes must also represent a majority of the total votes cast for the nominees. In the event of a tie, ballots will be recast for those tied nominees only, provided their affirmatives were in the majority. A Life Member shall have all of the rights and privileges of the Active Member, except that of holding the elective office of President a second term. A Life Member shall not be assessed any dues.

Section 1	Duties of President
Section 2	Duties of President Elect
Section 2A	Duties of Vice President
Section 3	Duties of Secretary/Treasurer
Section 4	Further Duties of Secretary/Treasurer
Section 5	Duties of Sergeant-At-Arms

Section 1	Appointment & Tenure
Section 2	Regular Committees
Section 2A	Arrangements
Section 2B	Legislative
Section 2C	Training
Section 2D	Death Benefit Fund
Section 2E	Resolution
Section 2F	Life Membership
Section 2G	Audit
Section 2H	Firearms
Section 2I	Finance Committee
Section 2J	Policy & Procedure Committee
Section 2K	Constitution & By-Laws Committee
Section 2L	Scholarship Committee

Section 1	Classes of Membership
Section 2	Active Members
Section 3	Life Members
Section 4	Supporting Members
Section 5	Honorary Members
Section 6	Exclusion of Honorary Members and Supporting Members
Section 7	Affirm Good Health
Section 8	Senior Life Member

Section 1	Shall Meet Semi-annually
Section 2	Fifteen (15) Members, Quorum
Section 3	Special Meetings

Section 1	Elective Officers
Section 2	How Elected
Section 3	Vacancies
Section 4	Election Districts
Section 5,5A	Qualification For District Governor
Section 5B	Governors-At-Large, Qualification
Section 5C	Sergeant-At-Arms, A Governor
Section 6	Executive Board Defined Chief Executive Officers Defined
Section 7	To Conduct An Election
Section 8	Term of Office
Section 9	Qualification For Election To President President Elect & Vice President
Section 10	Life Membership

Section 1	How Constituted
Section 2	Powers of Executive Committee Section 3 Duties of Executive Committee
Section 3	Duties of Executive Committee
Section 4	Meetings
Section 5	Expenses of Executive Committee/How Borne

Section 1	How Obtained
Section 2	Accepting Special Funds
Section 3	How Deposited
Section 4	Board To Maintain Fiscal Responsibility, Expenditures In Excess of $10,000 & Not Considered Part Of Normal Operating Expenses
Section 5	Proper Receipts For Expenditures
Section 6	Travel Expenses/Covered in Policy & Procedure Manual

Section 1	From Office
Section 2	Removal of Association Officers
Section 3	From Membership

Section 1	Amendments
Section 2	Distribution of Amendments
Section 3	Robert's Rules Of Order
Section 4	Reviewing of By-Laws

Section 1	Fiscal Year Defined
Section 2	Membership Cards
Section 3	Dues
Section 4	Arrears
Section 5	Defrauding Association
Section 6	Duty of President To Set Hour Of Meetings
Section 7	Official Magazine Publication Name

Section 1	A Through M
Section 2	Suspension Of Business
Section 3	Active & Life Members Status
Section 4	Procedure Of Association Business
Section 5	Preserving Order
Section 6	Every Resolution In Writing

Section 1.	This Organization shall be known as the Kansas Peace Officers Association.

Section 2.	Its object shall be to promote personal acquaintance among Peace Officers of Kansas; to advance the science pertaining to the prevention and detection of crime and the apprehension of criminals; to promote the improvement of Police Service and the advancement of the Law Enforcement Profession and to raise the standard of Law Enforcement Institutions and Officials.

Section 3.	Our motto, "Co-operation and Justice."

,	Constitution & Bylaws

Section 1	Definition
Section 2	Objective
Section 3	Motto

Section 1.	FROM OFFICE. Any Office of this Association will become vacant upon the conviction of the incumbent of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude or by ouster from office or discharge or resignation to avoid discharge.

Section 2.	Any Officer of this Association may be removed from office by a majority vote of Active Members, present at any Spring or Fall Convention.

Section 3.	FROM MEMBERSHIP. Any Member may be removed from membership upon a majority vote of the Executive Committee. Removal can be for the following reasons: conviction of a felony; conviction of Class A or B misdemeanors or convictions of a series of minor misdemeanors that could indicate a general disrespect for the law; or absent convictions of felony and or misdemeanor offenses, the Executive Committee may, upon a preponderance of evidence submitted, remove ANY Member whose conduct could compromise the integrity of the Kansas Peace Officers' Association.

Section 1.	CLASSES OF MEMBERSHIPS. The membership of this Association shall be divided into four (4) classes, namely: Active, Life, Honorary, and Supporting.

Section 2.	ACTIVE MEMBERS. The following persons shall be eligible as Active Members: All Police Officers, Sheriffs and Deputies, Town Marshals, Constables, Prosecuting Attorneys, Coroners, Judges of Municipal, State and Federal Courts, Enforcement Agents of State and Federal Agencies and Departments, Wardens and Correctional Officers of State and Federal Institutions, Railway and Express Special Agents and Special Offices, Security Officers, Utility Special Agents and Special Officers, all Military Police Agencies, Executive Staff and full-time Instructors of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, Members of Kansas Law Enforcement Reserves, part-time Officers, retired and pensioned Officers holding Active membership at the time of retirement or any full-time employee of a Law Enforcement Agency. Any Active Member may retain their membership when they leave the Law Enforcement field.

Section 3.	LIFE MEMBERS. Any Active Member, who shall have served the Association with the minimum of ten years membership and within the guidelines set forth in the Policy and Procedure Manual, is eligible.

Section 4.	SUPPORTING MEMBERS. Any individuals, who support, financially, the program of this Association shall be eligible for selection as Supporting Members. No death benefits shall be allowed Supporting Members. They shall not hold Office nor vote at meetings.

Section 5.	HONORARY MEMBERS. The following persons shall be eligible as Honorary Members: Governors, Members of the Kansas Legislature, Mayors, City Managers, other persons of distinction outside the Police profession, outstanding members of Law Enforcement in other States. Honorary Members shall not hold Office nor vote at meetings. No death benefits shall be allowed Honorary Members.

Section 6.	The Association reserves the power to exclude Honorary Members and Supporting Members from any session of the Association at the discretion of the Presiding Officer.

Section 7.	An applicant must affirm to good health at the time of application.

Section 8.	SENIOR LIFE MEMBERS. Any Active Member, who shall have served the Association for ten years and be age fifty-five (55) or older and retired from active police duty; or have been a member at the time of suffering a debilitating physical or mental condition which precludes further employment as a peace officer, is eligible. The fee shall be equivalent to five (5) years dues. Members must file a letter with the Executive Committee no later than July 1 of the current year. A Senior Life Member shall have all the rights and privileges of the Active Member.

Section 1.	The Association shall meet semi-annually at such time and place as shall be determined by a majority vote of the Members at previous meetings; provided, however, that the Executive Committee may select such other time and place in the event the time or place selected by the Members shall not be desirable or available for such meeting, or that the place selected defaults in its preparation for reception of the convention.

Section 2.	Fifteen (15) Active Members in good standing at any meeting shall constitute a quorum for transaction of business. A majority of any committee shall constitute a quorum.

Section 3.	Special meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called by the President upon written request of twenty-five (25) Active Members in good standing, which request shall set forth the purpose or purposes for such meeting to be called. Upon receipt of such request, the President shall, at once, notify the Secretary, whose duty it shall be to notify all members of the Executive Committee. The time and place of such meeting shall be designated by the President.

Section 1.	It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Association; preserve order during such meetings; appoint all Regular Committees and such Special Committees as he/she shall desire; fill all vacancies with the approval of the Executive Committee with the exception of the President Elect and Vice-President and perform all other duties which properly come under the Presiding Officer.

Section 2.	It shall be the duty of the President Elect to perform all duties of the President, in the temporary absence or temporary disability of the President. A. It shall be the duty of the Vice-President to preside in the absence of the President and President Elect. He/she shall perform any duties assigned to/by the President.

Section 3.	It shall be the duty of the Secretary-Treasurer to keep a correct record of the transactions of each and every meeting of the Association; receive and fill applications for membership and issue membership cards upon receipt of the required dues from each member annually. He/she shall be the keeper of the Seal, records and funds of the Association, have charge of the correspondence as may be of interest to the Members of the Association at each meeting. He/she shall keep a correct record of all money transactions, which shall be reported by him/her at each meeting and shall give a security bond from some reputable surety company in the amount of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) and same to be approved by the Executive Committee and paid for out of the General Fund of the Association. He/she shall furnish the President and Vice-President with an itemized financial statement every three (3) months. He/she shall prepare and post, in the General Assembly room, at each Fall Convention, a financial statement of the Association membership. He/she shall deliver up within twenty (20) days all moneys, securities, books, papers, and other property of the Association to his/her successor in office, or whomsoever the Association may designate to receive same. In the event of a vacancy in this office for any reason, the Executive Committee shall appoint an Acting Secretary-Treasurer to fill the unexpired term. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep memorial records and shall provide them to the President for the memorial service.

Section 4.	It shall be the further duty of the Secretary-Treasurer to preside in the absence of the President, President Elect and Vice-President.

Section 5.	SERGEANT-AT-ARMS. It shall be his/her duty to maintain order at meetings and all functions. He/she shall have the authority to expel, disarm or prohibit any person from attending any Association function and to examine current membership cards of any Member. The Sergeant-At-Arms may call upon any Member at any time to assist him/her in the performance of his/her duties.

Section 1.	HOW CONSTITUTED. There shall be an Executive Committee, which shall consist of the President, President Elect, and Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, Sergeant-At-Arms, twenty-four (24) District Governors, four (4) Governors-At-Large and Governor Emeriti. Any vacancy occurring in the membership in the Executive Committee, excepting the President Elect and Vice-President, shall be filled by the President, by the appointment of an Active Member in good standing, who shall serve the unexpired portion of the term. The powers and duties of the Executive Committee may not be delegated and only Members in person may vote and act at meetings of the Executive Committee.

Section 2.	POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. The Executive Committee shall have full power and authority during intervals between meetings of the Association to do all Acts and perform all functions which the Association might do or perform, except, that it shall have NO POWER TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION or BYLAWS.

Section 3.	DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. The Executive Committee shall report at the Fall meeting of the Association all proposed measures considered by it during the previous for the benefit of the membership and general welfare of the Association. It shall, through appropriate subcommittees, present for general consideration by the Members; propose and endeavor to secure proper and needful legislation to carry out the purpose of the Association; suggest means for relief of the Members; adopt ways and means for the advancement of the purposes of the Association, and designate the work to be done between the sessions of the Association; convene at a five (5) day notice to be given by the Secretary-Treasurer; supervise all accounts for expenses; disseminate appropriate literature; and cause the accounts of the Association to be audited by a Certified Public Accountant at its discretion.

Section 4.	MEETINGS. The Executive Committee shall convene at such time and place as may be determined, upon call of the President.

Section 5.	EXPENSES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE—HOW BORNE. All actual and necessary expense incurred by such meetings shall be borne by the Association, upon request. The Executive Committee shall not receive expenses for attending the Spring and Fall Conventions; except one (1) room shall be obtained at the Spring and Fall Conventions for each, the President, President Elect, Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer and paid for by the Association.

Section 1.	HOW OBTAINED. The funds of the Association shall be derived from membership fees and as otherwise provided by the Bylaws.

Section 2.	ACCEPT SPECIAL FUNDS. The Association, upon approval of the Chief Executive Officers, may accept special donations or contributions from public-spirited persons or organizations having a philanthropic interest in police work through this Association, to provide sufficient and additional means for the aid of the Association in its efforts toward carrying out its purpose. In addition, the Association may accept funds derived through sale advertising and residuals in the Associations' Magazine.

Section 3.	All Association funds shall be deposited in an institution insured or guaranteed by the United States or any instrumentality thereof, or by the State of Kansas.

Section 4.	It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Board to maintain fiscal responsibility for the Association. All expenditures in excess of $10,000 that are not considered part of the normal operating expenses for the Association, shall be presented to the Executive Board for recommendation, published in the next magazine and taken to a vote at the next following General Membership meeting for a majority vote. All expenditures shall be paid by check upon approval of the Secretary-Treasurer or President.

Section 5.	A receipt shall be received for all expenditures and appropriately filed.

Section 6.	All travel and miscellaneous expenses of members of the Association will be covered in the Policy and Procedure Manual.

Section 1.	AMENDMENTS. Amendments to these bylaws must be made in writing and presented to the Secretary to be read at the Fall Meetings and can only pass by a two-thirds vote of the Active Members in good standing in attendance at the Fall Meeting.

Section 2.	Each time a change is made in the Constitution or Bylaws, a copy of the amendments will be made and distributed to the membership through the official publication.

Section 3.	The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the Bylaws or the special rules of this Association.

Section 4.	The Constitution and By-Laws shall be reviewed a minimum of every three (3) years by a Committee appointed by the President or more frequently, as may be directed by the President.

Section 1.	The Fiscal Year of this Association shall be from September 1^st to August 31^st, inclusive.

Section 2.	MEMBERSHIP CARDS. The Secretary-Treasurer shall have printed and furnish membership cards to all Active Members in good standing. A separate membership card shall be issued to all Life Members, Honorary Members and Supporting Members.

Section 3.	DUES. Each Member shall pay to the Secretary-Treasurer in advance, the amount designated by the Executive Committee as Annual Dues.

Section 4.	ARREARS. Any member failing or refusing to pay his/her annual dues by December 31^st, shall stand suspended until same are paid.

Section 5.	DEFRAUDING. Any Member who shall, in any way, defraud this Association, or shall be guilty of conduct calculated to bring reproach upon this Organization shall, after full investigation thereof by the Executive Committee, be expelled or suspended for such period as may be determined.

Section 6.	The hour of convening the first day's session of each Annual Meeting shall be set by the President. All other meeting times shall also be set by the President. A tentative schedule of events shall be published in the Association's official publication prior to the semi-annual conference.

Section 7.	The Organization's Official Publication shall be known as "The Kansas Peace Officer".

Section 1.	Section 1. A. Registration. B. Reading Minutes of Previous Meeting. C. Report of Officers. 1. Secretary-Treasurer. 2. President. D. Report of Committees. E. Reading and Discussion of Papers. F. Unfinished Business. G. New Business. H. Selection of Place for Next Meeting. I. Election of Officers and District Governors 1. President. 2. President-Elect. 3. Vice President. 4. Secretary-Treasurer. 5. Sergeant-At-Arms. 6. District Governors. J. Installation of Officers. K. Appointment of Committees. L. Good and Welfare of the Order. M. Adjournment.

Section 2.	SUSPENSION. The order of business may be suspended temporarily, upon a motion receiving the affirmative votes of the majority of the Active Members present, provided that the motion to suspend the rules specifies the object of the suspension.

Section 3.	All present Active and Life Members of this Association shall retain their status.

Section 4.	PROCEDURE. A Member called to order by the Presiding Officer, or by a question of order, having been raised, shall immediately cease speaking upon the question before the Association and shall not resume their remarks until the question has been disposed of.

Section 5.	The Presiding Officer shall preserve order and decorum. All questions of order shall be decided by him/her, subject to an appeal by any Active Member of the Association.

Section 6.	Every resolution shall be in writing to the Resolution Committee for consideration and recommendation unless referred by the Chair on presentation without debate. Final action resting with the Membership.