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This
publication is dedicated to the memory of all police officers
who have
given of themselves in the name of safety.
A
SAFETY OFFICER
The Law Enforcement Officer who undertakes the role of Safety Officer
for his/her Department is accepting a very special responsibility - one that requires a commitment of self, a dedication to community, an
understanding of people in all their strengths and weaknesses, and, at
times, self-sacrifice. Our
accomplishments however, become all that much more meaningful when we
consider that those who look to us most are the youth of today - the
citizens of tomorrow. The
words of a former Fall River Safety Officer clearly express that our
greatest reward lies in the contribution we make to these children who
are the future:
When
I am standing to be judged
Before the great white throne
Where I can hear the righteous sing
And hear the sinners moan
I will want no greater advocate
To make my final plea
Than to hear a small child say
"He did a lot for me."
Ray McGough - MSOL Pres. 1959
Massachusetts
Safety
Officers League BY-LAWS
ARTICLE
I: NAME
This
Association shall be known as the
MASSACHUSETTS
SAFETY OFFICERS
LEAGUE.
ARTICLE
II: PURPOSE
The purpose of the League shall be to continually
update methods of promoting safety, to stimulate the interchange of
information among and between members and the peoples of
Massachusetts
, and to develop and support new ideas and laws to ensure the safety of
the public.
ARTICLE
III: MEMBERSHIP
SECTION
A
1. Regular "A":
Membership shall be limited to:
i.
Regular full-time Law Enforcement Officers of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, who having been certified by the Municipal
Police Training Committee or the Massachusetts State Police Academy and
who have been designated by their Chiefs of Police, or Public Safety
Directors to promote safety within their respective jurisdiction.
OR
ii.
Employees of the Massachusetts
Registry of Motor Vehicles who are engaged in safety-related functions.
Members
under this section shall have full voting rights, may hold elective
office and may chair any League committee.
(Amended by vote of the annual meeting, April 4, 2007.)
2.
Regular "B":
Membership shall be limited to regular full-time Law
Enforcement Officers of any city or town, or federal agency, or any
agency having police powers similar to those listed under Sec. A 1 of
any state, provided that person has been designated by their respective
Chief of Police, or Public Safety Director to promote safety within
their jurisdiction.
Members under this section shall have full voting rights and may
serve on any League committee but may not chair any committee, and they
may not hold any elective office within the League.
SECTION
B
Associate:
Membership shall be limited to those persons whose profession or
employment deals with the safety of others, or those persons who the
Board of Directors feel would be an asset to the organization.
Associate Members shall not be entitled to vote or hold office,
but are required to pay dues.
SECTION
C
Honorary: A regular
member of this League, upon retiring from his/her department, may remain
with the League as an Honorary member.
Honorary members shall be required to pay dues of ($10.00 /
year). Honorary members will
have no voting rights. (Amended
by vote of the annual meeting, April 4, 2007.)
SECTION
D
Resignation
or discharge of any member from his/her respective department, or
failure of any member to abide by these By-Laws, shall automatically
terminate his/her membership in the League.
SECTION
E
(Deleted by vote of the annual
meeting, April 4, 2007.)
SECTION
F
Any eligible person desiring
membership in the League shall make application in writing to the
secretary, who shall present the application for membership to the next
meeting of the Board of Directors. A
majority vote cast by the members of the Board present and voting, shall
mean acceptance as a new member. If
the application for membership is declined by the Board of Directors,
the request for membership may be taken before all the members of the
League who are present at the next meeting.
All
applications for Associate membership shall be investigated by the Board
of Directors and voting on such application delayed to the next meeting,
30 days after receiving the application.
SECTION
G
Voting shall be limited to regular
members only. Only one
member from each city or town or other agency may participate in voting
for election of officers.
ARTICLE
IV: AMENDMENTS
These By-Laws may be
amended only by a two-thirds vote of the regular members present at any
meeting of the League provided that 30 days notice of the nature of the
proposed addition of amendment has been distributed to all the regular
members by the Executive Secretary.
ARTICLE
V: MEETINGS
SECTION
A
Regular: Regular meetings
shall be held on the first Wednesday of each month or as may be
determined by the Board of Directors.
The meetings will take place in the various towns and cities
throughout the Commonwealth on a voluntary basis.
Annual: An
annual meeting of the League will be held on the first Wednesday in
April at a place agreed upon by the Board of Directors.
SECTION
B
Nomination
of Officers:
At the March meeting, a nominating
committee appointed by the President, shall bring forth a slate of
Officers and Board of Directors. After
the above slate of Officers and Board of Directors have been read before
the members of the League, nominations for any position shall be
accepted from the floor.
SECTION C
Election
of Officers:
At the April meeting, ballots will be distributed to all members
eligible to vote. At the
termination of the meeting the results if the election will be
announced. The newly elected
Officers and the Board of Directors shall assume their duties
immediately.
ARTICLE
VI: DUES
SECTION
A
Annual
membership dues (for each fiscal year {July 1st through the following
June 30th} ) will be required of all members.
Annual dues shall be due July 1st and payable by the July 31st.
Dues can be lowered or raised only by a majority vote of members
attending a regularly scheduled meeting.
(Amended by vote of the annual meeting, April 4, 2007.)
SECTION
B
When a
member fails to pay his (/ her) annual dues within three months after
the time specified above, (s)he shall automatically be suspended from
all benefits of a member (and may be assessed
higher fees for attendance at monthly meetings.) (Amended by vote
of the annual meeting, April 4, 2007.)
ARTICLE
VII: OFFICERS
SECTION
A
The
officers of the League shall consist of a President, First Vice
President, Second Vice President, Executive Secretary, and Treasurer,
all of whom shall be elected annually.
SECTION
B
(The
Board of Directors shall be comprised of the Officers {Article VII,
Section A} plus six other persons who shall be elected annually.)
(Amended by vote of the annual meeting, April 4, 2007.)
SECTION
C
The
President shall appoint annually an Auditing Committee.
The Auditing Committee shall consist of three members in good
standing.
SECTION
D
The
Board of Directors shall fill any vacancy in it's membership during the
year until the next election of Officers by appointing the next person
on the ballot with the highest number of votes.
In the event of a tie, the most senior member of the League shall
be appointed.
SECTION
E
The
Board of Directors shall appoint a League Historian annually.
ARTICLE
VIII: POWERS AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS
SECTION
A
President:
The President shall be Chief Executive Officer and shall preside
at all meetings of the League. The
President shall call all meetings of the Board of Directors by written
notice to the Executive Secretary. This
notice shall specify the purpose for which such meeting is called.
(S)He shall perform such other duties as are imposed upon him/her
by the League or Board of Directors, not repugnant to law or these
By-Laws. (S)He shall appoint
and be a member ex-officio of all sub-committees.
SECTION
B
First
Vice President: The
First Vice President shall perform the duties of the President during
his/her absence and during any vacancy in the Office of the President.
SECTION
C
Second
Vice President:
The Second Vice President shall
perform the duties of the First Vice President during his/her absence.
The Second Vice President shall co-host the monthly meeting, and
shall be responsible for coordinating the program.
SECTION
D
Executive
Secretary: The
Executive Secretary shall:
1.
Have custody of all property and/or evidence of property
that belongs to or may come to the League.
2.
Attend all meetings of the League and of the Board of
Directors and maintain separate records of the proceedings.
3.
Have the authority to sign all correspondence of an
executive nature when authorized by the Chief Executive Officer.
4.
Be responsible for notifying all members as to meetings
and other business of the League.
5.
Keep a list of regular and associate members of the League
and sign all certificates of membership in the League.
6.
Make books available for inspection by the Board of
Directors and the Auditing Committee.
7.
Deliver to his/her successor or other proper authority all
books, property and evidence of property belonging to the League upon
leaving office.
8.
In the absence of the President and Vice Presidents call
the meeting to order and preside thereat until a president pro-tem is
chosen.
In
the absence of the Executive Secretary a secretary pro-tem shall be
appointed by the President
or presiding officer.
SECTION
E
Treasurer:
The Treasurer shall:
1.
Collect and receive all dues, assessments, donations,
gifts, bequests and monies from all sources not otherwise specified in
the By-Laws, and care for and disburse the same herein provided, giving
vouchers for all that is disbursed.
2.
Keep all monies deposited in the name of the League in
such banks as the Board of Directors shall designate or otherwise invest
as the Board shall direct.
3.
Keep books in which (s)he shall enter all accounts of the
League and it's funds, and such books shall, at all times, be open to
the inspection of the Board of Directors and the Auditing Committee.
4.
Render a detailed written report at the annual April
meeting of all the receipts and expenditures during the preceding year
as well as the true financial condition of the League, and of the manner
in which the funds are deposited or invested.
5.
Make a like report monthly, and at any other time when
directed to do so by the Board of Directors.
6.
Deliver upon retirement, to his/her successor, all monies,
property, books and vouchers in hand.
An audit by the Auditing Committee shall precede this transfer.
7.
Annually arrange to have the Executive Secretary given
power of attorney for all monies and accounts which are on deposit for
the MSOL at any and all banks and institutions.
The President would be empowered to use this delegation only when
the Treasurer is unable to perform his/her duties.
In the event of a
vacancy, the President shall appoint a treasurer pro-tem until the next
regular election.
SECTION F
Board
of Directors:
1.
Chairman of the Board:
The Chairman of the Board of Directors will serve as such for one
year. The Chairman shall be
the first name on the roster listing members of the Board.
The Chairman shall preside at the meetings of the Board.
In the absence of the Chairman, the members of the Board shall
appoint a temporary Chair.
2.
Members of the Board:
The Board of Directors shall have general supervision of the
affairs of the League. They
shall approve vouchers for all other obligations of the League which are
due and payable, and shall direct the Treasurer to pay the same.
3.
The immediate Past President shall be a member of the Board of
Directors and shall only have voting powers to break a tie.
4.
Any Past President
is welcome to attend any meeting of the Board of Directors, but shall
have no voting privileges.
(Amended
by vote of the annual meeting, April 4, 2007.)
ARTICLE
IX: POWERS AND
DUTIES OF COMMITTEES
SECTION A
Auditing
Committee:
The
Auditing Committee, before the April meeting, shall carefully examine
the Executive Secretary's and Treasurer's books, accounts, and annual
report and will ascertain whether the same represents the true financial
condition of the League. The
Committee will then report on the results of such examination.
SECTION
B
Scholarship
Committee:
.
(Deleted
by vote of the annual meeting, April 4, 2007.)
SECTION C
All
other committees will be appointed, as needed, by the President.
Each committee will have a chairperson who will be responsible
for maintaining records and receipts of the committee and for making
reports, as directed, to the League.
ARTICLE
X:
SCHOLARSHIP
SECTION A
(Deleted
by vote of the annual meeting, April 4, 2007.)
SECTION B
(Deleted
by vote of the annual meeting, April 4, 2007.)
SECTION C
(Deleted
by vote of the annual meeting, April 4, 2007.)
SECTION
D
(Deleted by vote of the annual meeting, April 4, 2007.)
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