FAHN Bylaws

SECTION 1

PRESIDENT

1. The President of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the organization.

2. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators and to enforce rules and regulations regarding its administration. The President shall vote only in the case of a tie vote. He/she shall serve for a term of one year and can succeed him or herself in office, however, he/she cannot serve for more than two consecutive terms. The President shall, as occasions demand, call meetings of the Executive Board or the Review Committee.

SECTION 2

VICE PRESIDENT

1. The Vice President shall hold office for one year and can succeed him or herself in office, however, he/she cannot serve for more than two consecutive terms. It shall be the duty of the Vice President to preside at all meetings in the absence of the President, and to assist the President in the enforcement of the rules and regulations regarding the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators.

2. In the event of resignation, suspension or termination of the President, the Vice President shall ascend to the office of President and serve until the next scheduled general election of officers of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators.

3. In the event of the resignation, suspension, or termination of both the President and the Vice President, the Treasurer shall ascend to the office of President, and serve until the next scheduled general election of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators.

SECTION 3

SECRETARY

1. The Secretary shall be elected during the scheduled general election of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators, and shall hold office for one year. The secretary may succeed him or herself. He/she shall keep minutes of all meetings, act as parliamentarian, conduct correspondence, issue notices of meetings, keep current a record of membership, and perform all other duties normally pertaining to the office of Secretary. He/she shall furnish a copy of the minutes of all meetings to Executive Board and the Review Committee. A member shall be furnished a copy of the minutes upon a request in writing to the Secretary.

SECTION 4

TREASURER

1. The Treasurer shall be elected during the scheduled general election of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators, and shall hold office for one year. The Treasurer may succeed himself or herself. He/she shall maintain all financial records pertaining to the office of Treasurer. He/she shall ensure that all applicable tax obligations are met and corporate filings are made, within the time limits imposed by statute. He/she shall furnish regular financial reports to the Executive Board and the Review Committee. A member shall be furnished a copy of the financial report upon request in writing to the Treasurer.

SECTION 5

SERGEANT AT ARMS

1. The Sergeant at Arms shall be elected during the scheduled general election of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators, for a term of one year, and may succeed him or herself.

2. The duties of the Sergeant at Arms shall be to insure that only members in good standing or a special guest or any other person or persons approved by the Executive Board are present during the closed sessions of the meetings, and to perform other duties as directed by the President.

3. The duties of the Sergeant at Arms shall also include coordinating and monitoring the elections process and ensuring that only members present during the designated election period cast a ballot.

SECTION 6

PROGRAM/TRAINING DIRECTOR

1. The Program/Training Director shall be appointed by the incoming President during the scheduled general election of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators, for a term of one year, and may succeed him or herself.

2. The duties of the Program/Training Director shall be to secure/coordinate suitable locations and topics for future training seminars along with arranging for speakers, vendors and trainers for designated meetings and seminars. The Program/Training Director shall also maintain routine contact with Regional Directors and assist them with requested training needs.

SECTION 7

AMBASSADOR AT LARGE

1. The Ambassador at Large shall be appointed during the scheduled general election of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators, for a term of one year, and may succeed him or herself.

2. The duties of the Ambassador at Large shall include promotion of the works and efforts of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators throughout the Criminal Justice community, and the general public, to actively encourage agency and member support and recruitment into the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators, as well as perform other duties as directed by the President.

SECTION 8

CHAPLAIN

1. The Chaplain shall be appointed by the incoming President during the scheduled general election of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators, for a term of one year, and may succeed him or herself.

2. The duties of the Chaplain shall include providing member counseling for the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators throughout the Criminal Justice community, and the general public. To preside over the benediction and invocation at the opening and/or closing of the annual conference, and the conference banquet, as well as perform duties as directed by the President.

SECTION 9

PAST PRESIDENTS

1. Past Presidents shall serve as a member of the executive board, and act as advisors on matters of concern to the organization.

2. Past Presidents shall have any and all privileges associated to a seat on the Executive Board; to include voting rights.

3. Past Presidents shall have the right to run for the office of President after one-year absence from the office.

4. Past Presidents shall be considered lifetime members, not subject to annual dues or fees.

SECTION 10

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

1. All members of the founding Executive Board (elected at the first organization meeting, held at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on December 12, 1996) shall serve as a Board of Trustees for FAHN. These members shall be considered lifetime members, not subject to annual dues or fees. These persons have shown an overwhelming desire to ensure the success and longevity of the association, and are to act as advisors and mentors to the Executive Board, as well as be available to assist in the day to day operations of FAHN.

2. The members of the Board of Trustees shall serve so long as they remain members in good standing of FAHN. Once all members of the founding Executive Board have left the Association, the Board of Trustees as is herein defined, will cease to exist.

SECTION 11

REVIEW COMMITTEE

1. The Review Committee shall be made up of the Executive Board and the Regional Directors. Regional Directors shall be nominated by members from their respective regions and elected by those members during the scheduled general election of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators. Regional Directors may succeed themselves without limits.

2. The duties of the Review Committee shall be to investigate any actions of individual members in regard to the possible effect on the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators; to take emergency action in suspending members; to recommend to the general membership follow-up action on a suspension or termination; to recommend changes in policy and procedure; and to periodical review and to purge records and files of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators; to actively encourage agency and member support and recruitment into the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators and to perform any other duties as directed by the president.

SECTION 12

COMMITTEES

1. The Executive Board shall be responsible for the overall operation of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators.

2. The following committees are designated as standing committees; the Rules Committee, the Program Committee, and the Training Committee.

3. Other committees may be established and disbanded as deemed necessary and directed by the President.

4. The director of each committee shall be appointed by the President and serve at his or her pleasure.

SECTION 13

MEETINGS

1. Regular Board meetings of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators shall be held once each quarter in a manner and/or location as prescribed by the President. Meetings shall be held at host agencies or any other suitable locations.

2. One regular annual statewide meeting shall be scheduled each year, and will be open to all members. Dates and locations of these yearly meetings shall be determined by the Executive Board, and will include business, training, equipment demos and technique updates whenever possible, utilizing instructors and experts in the field of crisis management/intervention. The Program/Training Director, with the assistance of the Program Committee, shall be responsible for planning the meeting program.

3. Special meetings of the Association may be held in cases of serious emergency and shall be called by the President at a time and place designated by the President upon the request of the Executive Board or by a two-thirds vote of the members.

4. Individual member representation regardless of number, from two-thirds of the members in attendance shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. Unless otherwise required by the Constitution or By-Laws, a majority vote of members present after a quorum is established is all that is necessary for approval of matters coming before the meeting.

5. Regional Directors shall ensure that periodic regional training is conducted within the region they represent.

SECTION 14

AMENDMENTS

1. Procedure for modifying or adding amendments: The Constitution and/or Bylaws of this Association may be amended by presenting a resolution, in writing, to the Association President, who shall have the Secretary post the proposed changes on the Association’s web site, or by any other manner as prescribed by the Executive Board, at least thirty (30) days prior to the annual conference. A two-thirds ( 2/3 ) majority vote of voting members in attendance at the conference is required to amend the Constitution and a simple majority vote of voting members attending the conference is required to amend the Bylaws. A qualified member is one whose dues are current and is in good standing with the Association.

2. Effective date of amendments and resolutions: All amendments/resolutions passed and adopted by this Association, in accordance with the rules set forth in the Constitution or Bylaws, shall be in force and effective upon the adjournment of the conference wherein considered and adopted, provided an exception to this effect is not otherwise contained in the language of the amendment/resolution itself.

SECTION 15

RULES OF ORDER

1. The Rules of Order of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators shall be Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, in all instances not covered by the Constitution or By-Laws.

SECTION 16

ENLARGEMENT OR REDUCTION OF TIME

1. When any act is required or allowed to be done at, before or within a specified time by the provisions of these By-Laws, for good cause shown, the Executive Board may order the period enlarged or reduced or may permit the act to be done when failure to act was the result of excusable neglect or an enlargement or reduction is warranted by reason of exceptional circumstance.

SECTION 17

ETHICAL CONDUCT

1. Each individual member shall, at all times, conduct himself or herself with integrity, and in a manner to reflect credit upon the criminal justice profession, as well as the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators.

SECTION 18

RESOLUTION

1. Every resolution, unless of a formal character or involving amendments to the Constitution and/or Bylaws, requiring handling in accordance with Bylaws Section 14, shall be in writing and presented to the Executive Board for consideration and report prior to the last day of the conference. Any resolution considered by the Executive Board shall be presented to a quorum, along with the recommendation of the President in sufficient time for consideration prior to voting on the resolution.

SECTION 19

ELECTIONS

1. Eligibility: Candidates for President-Elect and Vice President-Elect shall meet or exceed the minimum qualifications listed below. A committee appointed by the (current) President shall evaluate the qualifications of each candidate and shall validate compliance with these requirements to the quorum.

a.Be an active member of the Association in good standing.

b.Candidates for President shall have served at least one year in an elected Executive Board position.

2. Elections process/procedures:

a.Elections will be held during the general membership business meeting of the Association’s annual conference.

b.Only members in good standing and present at the time of elections are permitted to cast a ballot. There will be no absentee ballots.

c.A member may vote for the Executive Board positions and ONLY for the Regional Director position in their respective region. Ballots which are not properly completed (i.e. someone votes for more than one person in any category) shall make the entire ballot null and void. Failure to vote for at least one candidate in any category will not invalidate a ballot.

d.Members seeking a position on the Executive Board must be present at the time that elections are conducted, unless extenuating circumstances preclude it. Such circumstances must be approved by a majority of the current Executive Board in order to be excused from this provision. In the event that a candidate for an Executive Board position is not present and/or the absence is not excused by the Executive Board, then the candidate will be disqualified.

e.Candidates for Regional Director Positions do not have to be present during the election process.

f.Once ballots are cast, the ballots will be tabulated by a committee, to include all past Presidents present at the annual conference or any designee, excluding those who are running for office. Ballots which are not properly completed shall be considered null and void. Ballot election results will remain confidential until released at the time designated by the current President.

g.Once the ballots are tabulated, they will be secured with the Association Secretary, until the time they are validated.

h.The ballots will be retained for a period of six months from the closing date following the conference.

i.Any protest or challenge of the election results must be submitted to the Secretary in writing, by the aggrieved party, no later than thirty (30) days after the closing of the annual conference.

1)Contested results will be resolved by the Executive Board of Directors at the first quarterly meeting after the grievance is filed.

2)The aggrieved party may elect to be present at the meeting and during the validation process.

3)Once the Executive Board arrives at a decision, the President will notify the aggrieved party in writing, within thirty (30) calendar days.

j.In the event of a tie vote:

1)In the case of a Regional Director’s position, the Executive Board of Directors will appoint a candidate.

2)In the case of an Executive Board position, the Board of Trustees, to include past Presidents, will appoint the candidate.

k.In the event that there is no qualifying candidate for a position, an exception may be

made with a 2/3rds vote of Executive Board members present at the current election.

SECTION 20

DECLARATION OF CANDIDACY

1. Candidates for any Board of Directors position, to include the Executive Board, shall submit a declaration of their candidacy, in writing, to the Secretary by the end of the regularly scheduled session the day prior to the business meeting, the year they are seeking election by the quorum.

SECTION 21

TERMS OF OFFICE

1. Members of the Board shall serve from the time they are installed in office until their successors are installed in office, unless they officially resign in writing, or are suspended or removed from office.

2. Officers shall be installed in office during the Association’s annual conference, unless exigent or extenuating circumstances exist.

3. Officers may be installed in office at such time as may become necessary due to the filling of a vacancy or other cause.

SECTION 22

VACANCIES

1.A vacancy in the office of the President shall be filled by the advancement in rank, as previously stated in Section 2. Such advancement in rank shall be in an “acting” capacity only until the next regular election of officers.

2.A vacancy in the office of any Board of Directors shall be filled by an appointment made by the President and shall be subject to confirmation by a simple majority of the remaining members of the Executive Board.

3.Once appointed, the “acting” Board member assume all duties, responsibilities and privileges the position holds.

4.Officers who were either advanced in rank due to a vacancy or appointed by the President may declare their candidacy for the office in which they are “acting” at the next regular elections of officers and if elected, shall be eligible to serve a full term in office.

SECTION 23

REMOVAL/SUSPENSION FROM OFFICE

1. The President, Vice President, or member of the Board of Directors of the Association may be removed from office only for reason of malfeasance of duty, misfeasance of duty, nonfeasance of duty, for being arrested, or for committing an act that brings significant discredit to the Association.

SECTION 24

OFFICERS AND DUTIES

1. President - In addition to other duties as may be required, the President shall:

a. Appoint committees in accordance with the mission of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators.

b. Keep members appropriately informed of Association activities.

c. Make appointments to fill vacancies in office, subject to confirmation by the Executive Board.

d. Ensure that the FAHN policies are adequately maintained and properly adhered to in day-to-day functioning of the Association.

e. Set goals, policies, and procedures for the Association to follow.

f. Present any proposed amendments to the FAHN budget in effect during the term of office for consideration and approval by the Executive Board of Directors.

g. Represent, or appoint a designee to represent, the Association at the scheduled NCNA meeting(s) and/or other official meetings or proceedings where FAHN representation is required or desirable.

2. Other Officers –

a. Duties: The other officers shall serve in the same manner and for the same purposes as the President and shall in good faith support and carry out the mission of the Association. In such manner, they shall serve in the absence of the President and/or any of themselves in the order of their rank/position.

SECTION 25

FUND EXPENDITURES

1. Specified Expenses: The Treasurer shall be authorized to spend necessary funds to fulfill the requirements of his/her office as outlined in the Constitution and/or Bylaws of the Association.

2. Unspecified Expenses: The Board of Officers shall be authorized to approve all other expenses not specifically outlined in the Constitution and Bylaws of this Association.

3. Authorizing Funds Expenditures: Expenditures of Association funds shall be governed by the Executive Board of Directors. Major expenditures of organization funds, which exceed $2500, shall be approved by the Executive Board of Directors.

4. Expenditures of Association funds, which do not exceed $2500, may be authorized by the president or his Board designee.

SECTION 26

LIABILITY

1. Bonds: The Executive Board shall require persons in the Association, who are identified as those handling significant amounts of the Association’s funds, to be adequately bonded.

2. Liability: The Executive Board shall be responsible for having the Association adequately covered by liability and other necessary insurance.

3. Costs: The Association shall bear the costs associated with the provisions of this Article.

SECTION 27

MEMBERSHIP CLASSIFICATIONS

1. Active Member: (Previously Defined in Bylaws)

Active membership is limited to current, and/or retired Law Enforcement Officers, Corrections Officers, Parole and Probation Officers, and Criminal Justice Support Personnel of municipal police departments, sheriff’s offices, State Attorney Offices, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. This will also include federal, state, county or local agencies having law enforcement jurisdiction and/or responsibilities in crisis incidents.

2. Associate Member:

Those persons not meeting the requirements for any other class of membership and are from law enforcement agencies outside the State of Florida or employed in the educational or mental health field and not directly in a criminal justice support role are eligible for this class of membership. Associate members may not vote and may not hold office, but may serve on special and service committees.

3. Honorary Member:

Those persons who have made significant contributions to the objectives of FAHN. This membership is limited to those individuals who may have no incentive to obtain membership in any category but, by virtue of their position or accomplishments.The Honorary member shall not vote or hold office in any capacity, except that they may serve as Ex Officio members of any committee. Eligibility for this category may only be initiated upon a recommendation by a member to the Board of Directors. Honorary Member status must be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

4. Life Members:

Members of FAHN, who have made significant contributions, by actions or deeds beyond the normal call of duty toward the successful attainment of the FAHN objectives. This membership status is different from the lifetime active membership granted to founding members. This highest level of membership may be awarded only to those persons currently holding another category of membership in the Association. This honor may only be bestowed upon nomination by the Executive Board, following a recommendation by a member of the Board of Directors, in accordance with the requirements for this class as outlined in the Bylaws, and the subsequent confirmation by a majority vote of the membership Quorum present at the Annual Business Meeting. The title of Life Member, when bestowed, shall be in additional to the regular membership title of member. He/she shall enjoy all of the privileges and benefits of his/her regular membership classification and shall be exempt from the payment of any association dues for the life or resignation of such member. The privileges of a Life Member shall be determined by the class of membership for which the member would otherwise qualify.

a. The criteria for eligibility:

1) Been a member of FAHN for a minimum of 5 years; and

2) Served at least five years on the Executive Board or completed at least five major accomplishments which have contributed significantly towards meeting the needs of the Organization; or

3) A combination of both.

This honor shall be bestowed in the following manner:

(a) The nomination shall be accompanied by documentation of eligibility, shall be sent to the Executive Board more than 90 days prior to the convening of the Annual Conference at which the nomination is to be considered.

(b) Nominations for Life Membership may also be initiated by the unanimous vote of the Executive Board more than 30 days prior to the convening of the Annual Conference at which the nomination is to be considered.

(c) The nomination shall be presented to the Quorum of such an Annual Association Conference, which shall make its decision by majority vote.

Revised post 2007 conference as ratified by a vote of the attending membership.