|
Article 1
Name and Purposes
Section 1.01 Name.
This organization shall
be known as the Wisconsin Association for Identification, and is
a Chartered Division of the International Association for
Identification.
Section 1.02 Purposes. It shall be a non-profit
organization formed for the following purposes:
a. To associate persons who are actively engaged
in the profession of forensic identification,
investigation and scientific crime detection in an
organized body, so that the profession, in all of its
branches may be standardized and effectively and
scientifically practiced.
b. To encourage the enlargement and improvement
of the science of forensic identification and other
branches of scientific crime detection.
c. To encourage research work in scientific
crime detection.
d. To keep its members appraised of the latest
techniques and discoveries in forensic identification
and scientific crime detection.
e. To continue to improve the high professional
standards of law enforcement officials at all levels of
government who have charge of crime scene units, and/or
forensic laboratories.
f. To employ the collective wisdom of the
profession to advance the scientific techniques of
forensic identification and scientific crime detection.
g. To inform legislative bodies of the importance
of general laws making it mandatory to fingerprint every
person who is arrested.
h. To provide training, education, and the
publication of information related to forensic
identification and scientific crime detection.
Article 2
Membership
Section 2.01 Categories. Membership
categories shall consist of: Active, Life Active, Associate,
Affiliate, Honorary and Student.
Section 2.02 Qualifications and Applications. The
qualifications and application procedures shall conform with the
provisions of the by-laws.Article 3
Officers
Section 3.01 Officers. The officers shall
consist of: a President, a First Vice President, a Second Vice
President, a Third Vice President, a Secretary?Treasurer, an
Editor, a Sergeant?At?Arms, and a Historian.
Section 3.02 Election, Appointment, Removal, and Duties.
The election or appointment, succession, removal, and duties of
all officers shall conform to the provisions of the by-laws. Article 4
Board of Directors
Section 4.01 Voting Members. The Board of
Directors shall consist of fourteen (14) members and a
chairperson, for a total of fifteen (15) persons.
Section 4.02 Election, Appointment, Removal, and Duties.
The election or appointment, succession, removal, and duties of
all the voting members and recording secretary of the Board of
Directors shall conform to the provisions of the by-laws. Article 5
Committees
Section 5.01 Standing Committees and Subcommittees.
Standing committees and subcommittees shall be established in
accordance with and conform to the provisions of the by-laws.
Section 5.02 Special Committees and Subcommittees. The
following individuals are authorized to create special
committees and subcommittees: the President and the Chairperson
of the Board of Directors.
Section 5.03 Dissolution of Special Committees and
Subcommittees. All special committees and subcommittees
shall be automatically dissolved at the end of the term of
office or term of appointment of the individual who created them
unless they are dissolved sooner. Article 6
Logo
Section 6.01 Official Logo. This is the
official logo of the Wisconsin Association for Identification.
 ©
Section 6.02 Use. In
addition to any use authorized by the Board of Directors,
official publications, official correspondence, official
documents or items in any form, only members in good standing of
this Association may use the official logo.
Article 7
Educational Seminars
and General Membership Meeting
Section 7.01 Annual Educational Seminar. An
Annual Educational Seminar shall be held in conformance with the
provisions of the by-laws.
Section 7.02 Other Educational Seminars. Other
Educational Seminars may be conducted in conformance with the
provisions of the by-laws.
Section 7.03 Annual General Membership
Meeting. An Annual General
Membership Meeting shall be held at each Annual Educational
Seminar in conformance with the provisions of the by-laws.Article 8
Code of Ethics, Standards of Professional Conduct and Members'
Bill of Rights
Section 8.01 Adoption and/or Amendment of Code of
Ethics, Standards of Professional Conduct and Members' Bill of
Rights. The Wisconsin Association for Identification
shall establish, maintain and publish with the Constitution and
by-laws a Code of Ethics, a Standards of Professional Conduct
and a Members' Bill of Rights to which all the members must
adhere. The Code of Ethics, any Standards of Professional
Conduct and the Members' Bill of Rights shall be adopted and/or
amended only by a resolution passed by a majority vote at a
general membership meeting. However, if the Board of Directors
believes it is in the best interest of the Association, the
Board of Directors may amend the Code of Ethics, any Standards
of Professional Conduct and the Members' Bill of Rights, subject
to ratification by the members.
Section 8.02 Effective Date. Once adopted and/or
amended, the Code of Ethics, the Standards of Professional
Conduct and the Members' Bill of Rights shall become effective
immediately upon publication in an official Wisconsin
Association for Identification publication that is distributed
to the members.
Section 8.03 Violations. A violation of the Code of
Ethics and/or the Standards of Professional Conduct may be
considered as adequate cause for censure, expulsion, suspension
or revocation of membership in conformance with the provisions
of the by-laws. Article 9
Interpretation of Constitution and Certificate of Incorporation
Section 9.01 Broad Interpretation. The
provisions of this Constitution and the Certificate of
Incorporation shall be interpreted as broadly as lawfully
possible to carry out the lawful purposes for which the
Wisconsin Association for Identification was formed.
Section 9.02 Limitations on Broad Interpretation. Due to
the ambiguous nature of any written language, it may be possible
to have more than one interpretation of any given provision of
the Certificate of Incorporation and the Constitution. At all
times the provisions of both of these documents shall be
construed in a manner that is in accordance with the laws of the
State of Wisconsin and with the provisions of the United States
Internal Revenue Service Regulations (IRS Code) for a non-profit
professional organization.
Section 9.03 Conflict. If there is any conflict between
the provisions of this Constitution and the Certificate of
Incorporation, the Certificate of Incorporation shall govern.
Section 9.04 Effect of Unenforceable or Invalid Provision.
Should any of the provisions or portions of this Constitution be
held unenforceable or invalid for any reason, the remaining
provisions and portions of this Constitution shall be unaffected
by such holding. Article 10
Amendments
Section 10.01 Required Vote. Except as
otherwise provided herein or by law, this Constitution shall not
be amended or repealed without a majority vote at two (2)
consecutive Annual General Membership Meetings.
Section 10.02 Publication. At least one (1) day prior to
each of the two (2) consecutive Annual General Membership
meetings in which any Amendment or Amendments to this
Constitution will be voted on, the Chairperson or Secretary of
the Resolution and Legislative Committee shall post each
proposed Amendment to this Constitution in the form of a written
resolution at the site of the General Membership Meeting. Also,
at least thirty (30) days prior to the Second General Membership
Meeting in which any Amendment or Amendments to this
Constitution will be voted on, each proposed Amendment to this
Constitution in the form of a resolution shall be published in
total in an official Wisconsin Association for Identification
publication that is normally sent to all the members in good
standing.
Section 10.03 Effective Date. An Amendment to this
Constitution shall become effective immediately only upon being
passed at two (2) consecutive Annual General Membership
Meetings, approval by the International Association for
Identification as required by the terms of our Division Charter,
and compliance with the legal requirements imposed by the laws
of the State of Wisconsin. Article 11
Prohibition Against Sharing Profits and Assets, and Dissolution
Section 11.01 General Prohibition. No
member of the Board of Directors, Officer, employee, or other
person connected with the Association, or any other private
individual, shall receive at any time any of the net earnings or
pecuniary profit from the operations of the Wisconsin
Association for Identification. However, this provision shall
not prevent the payment to any such person a reasonable
compensation for services rendered, expenses incurred to or for
the Association, as shall be fixed by a resolution passed by the
Board of Directors.
Section 11.02 Dissolution. The Wisconsin Association for
Identification may be dissolved upon a vote of a simple majority
at two (2) consecutive Annual General Membership Meetings.
However, if no general membership meetings are scheduled at any
time within the subsequent two (2) years, the Association may be
dissolved by a simple majority vote of the remaining Officers
and members of the Board of Directors. Prior to a vote on
dissolution, a written notice shall be published in some form at
least sixty (60) days before the vote is taken. The written
notice shall be considered to have been published effective on
the date that the written notice is mailed to all members in
good standing at their last known mailing address.
Section 11.03 Distribution of Assets After Dissolution.
First, all the lawful expenses, to include operating expenses,
of the Wisconsin Association for Identification are to be paid.
Next, as stated in an approved resolution to dissolve the
Association, the remaining assets and income shall not inure to
the benefit of any member or private individual, but shall be
used, until they are exhausted, for the purpose of carrying out
the objectives for which this organization was formed. |
