PLEAC By-Laws

ARTICLE 1 - NAME
Section 1.

The name of the Commission is the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (hereafter referred to as COMMISSION), under the direction of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

ARTICLE 2 - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1.

A. The COMMISSION shall be comprised of twenty law enforcement professionals consisting of:

The four regional Chiefs of Police Associations will each have four representatives on the COMMISSION;

a. Each representative shall be an active member of the regional Chief of Police Association.

b. Representatives that retire during their term may complete that term, but cannot be reappointed.

c. One member will be from each Chiefs Association from a department with no more than twenty-five sworn full-time officers.

d. All appointees and re-appointees after January 1, 2010 shall be representatives from PLEAC accredited agencies. Any region that makes an appointment prior to that date shall be from an enrolled agency. If a region doesn’t have an agency that meets these criteria, they shall be waived.

One representative of the Pennsylvania Police Accreditation Coalition (PPAC), and;

One member of the Pennsylvania State Police, selected by the Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner, and;

One Chief Executive Officer of a PLEAC accredited law enforcement agency, and;

One Accreditation Manager of a PLEAC accredited law enforcement agency.

B. The COMMISSION may appoint up to 5 additional members. These members shall consist of the following:

No more than 2 representatives from the insurance, law or risk management disciplines.

No more than 2 representatives that are elected state or municipal officials.

No more than 2 representatives that are appointed state or municipal officials.

No more than 2 representatives from associations representing municipal government

Section 2.

In the event the COMMISSION becomes involved in accreditation of law enforcement agencies, other than the Pennsylvania State Police or municipal police departments one representative of that type of agency may be added to the COMMISSION by a majority of two-thirds of the COMMISSION members entitled to vote.

Section 3.

The President and the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police shall be ex-officio members of the COMMISSION.

ARTICLE 3 - TERM OF APPOINTMENT
Section 1.

The term of appointment to the COMMISSION, for the regional Chiefs of Police Associations shall be for four years. One COMMISSION position, for each regional association, will be up for appointment each year.

Section 2.

The COMMISSION members from the Pennsylvania Police Accreditation Coalition, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Chief Executive Officer of a PLEAC accredited law enforcement agency, and the Accreditation Manager of a PLEAC accredited law enforcement agency shall be appointed for a one year term by the President of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

Section 3.

The members appointed by the COMMISSION shall not to exceed 2 years. These positions shall be filled by COMMISSION vote at a regular meeting at the discretion of the COMMISSION Chair.

Section 4.

In the event of a vacancy in the position of Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson will fill the office for the remainder of the Chairperson’s term. The Vice-Chairperson position shall then be filled by COMMISSION vote at the next regular meeting of the COMMISSION.

Section 5.

Any COMMISSION member who shall cease to hold the position which qualified him/her for such appointment to the COMMISSION shall cease as a member of the COMMISSION, however, representatives that retire during their term may complete that term, but cannot be reappointed. Vacancies on the COMMISSION will be filled through the regional Chiefs Association, or the selecting agency, responsible for the vacant position.

ARTICLE 4 - MISSION STATEMENT
Section 1.

The mission of the COMMISSION is to establish a set of standards wherein Pennsylvania Law Enforcement agencies will be able to demonstrate their commitment to providing a standard of excellence by which they will dedicate and deliver services to the citizens of their respective jurisdictions.

ARTICLE 5 - GOALS

Section 1.

The goals of the COMMISSION are:

To provide professional standards for the performance of Law Enforcement responsibilities, and;

To insure excellence in Pennsylvania Law Enforcement through the establishment of a systematic and recognized accreditation program, and;

To increase the effectiveness and efficiency of Law Enforcement throughout Pennsylvania with a recognized accreditation program, and;

To promote cooperation and coordination through accreditation within all Law Enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania, and;

To promote public confidence in law enforcement agencies.

ARTICLE 6 - DUTIES

Section 1.

The COMMISSION shall promulgate rules and regulations establishing an accreditation program that encourages and provides Law Enforcement agencies with a voluntary opportunity to demonstrate that they meet the standards developed, established and approved by the COMMISSION.

Section 2.

The COMMISSION shall only consider those applications for accreditation which have been submitted by the Chief Executive Officer of an eligible department with approval of the local governing body, or if there is no local governing body, of the Chief Elected Officer.

ARTICLE 7 - MEETINGS
Section 1.

The COMMISSION shall meet at least four times a year. The times and dates for such regular meetings shall be established by the COMMISSION members.

Section 2.

The COMMISSION shall meet at a location as designated by the Chairperson.

Section 3.

A written notice of each regular meeting shall be sent to each COMMISSION member at least twenty (20) days prior to the date thereof. Such notice shall contain the date, time and place of the meeting and the tentative agenda.

A regular meeting shall be held as scheduled notwithstanding the fact that notice was not timely sent to the COMMISSION members, unless the issue of timeliness is raised and a motion to adjourn such meeting on account thereof is adopted.

Section 4.

The Chairperson or the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association can call an emergency or special meeting of the COMMISSION. In such cases a written notice of the meeting will be mailed not less than ten (10) days prior to the meeting and shall state the date, time and place of the meeting and the purpose(s) of the meeting.

Section 5.

The COMMISSION may establish its own rules and regulations with respect to the conduct of its meetings.

Section 6.

The Chairman of the COMMISSION will provide written notification to the President of the appropriate region if a COMMISSION member misses three consecutive meetings. It is the responsibility of the Region President to address the absentee issue in a positive manner that will afford each region proper representation.

ARTICLE 8 - ORDER OF BUSINESS

Section 1.

The order of business for all regular meeting of the COMMISSION shall be:

Call to Order

Approval of Minutes

Chairperson’s Comments

Accreditation Coordinator’s Comments

Committee Reports

Old Business

New Business

Announcements

Date of the Next Meeting

Adjournment

ARTICLE 9 - CHAIRPERSON

Section 1.

The Chairperson shall be elected by a majority of members present at the first regular meeting of the COMMISSION, in even numbered years, for a term of two (2) years. The Chairperson must be from one of the regional Chiefs of Police Associations.

Section 2.

A. Duties;

Chair all the meetings of the COMMISSION, and;

The Vice-Chairperson shall, in the absence of the Chairperson, assume the duties of the Chairperson at all COMMISSION meetings and functions.

Section 2.

The Vice-Chairperson shall be elected by a majority of the members present at the first regular meeting of the COMMISSION, in even numbered years, for a term of two (2) years.

Section 3.

The Vice-Chairperson must be a representative from a regional association, but not the same regional association as the Chairperson.

When the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are both absent from a meeting the Accreditation Coordinator shall convene the meeting and shall act as chairperson thereof until an acting chairperson is chosen by the members present at the meeting, from among such members, to preside over that meeting.

A quorum for conducting official COMMISSION business shall consist of a minimum of eleven (11) members.

The right to vote on COMMISSION business is limited to members of the Commission. Each COMMISSION member is entitled to one vote.

Section 2.

All motions on COMMISSION business require a majority of affirmative votes to pass.

Section 3.

A vote may be cast only by a member physically present at the time the vote is taken. Voting by proxy, by personal representative, by mail, telephone, or any other manner is prohibited.

Section 4.

The vote of each member present and voting shall be recorded in the minutes.

Section 6.

Members of the COMMISSION are not permitted to participate in a debate or voting on any matters involving the accreditation or re-accreditation of their own agency.

Section 7.

Motions authorizing accreditation status for agencies shall require a majority of the COMMISSION members present, plus one, for an affirmative vote to pass.

Section 8.

Motions to approve, amend or add to any portion of the accreditation standards shall require a two-thirds majority of the voting members then serving on the COMMISSION, entitled to vote.

The Chairperson may appoint committees as he deems necessary. The committees may consist of members of the COMMISSION, personnel from Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, or any other interested individuals. The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the COMMISSION shall not serve on the same committee(s). All members of the committees serve at the pleasure of the Chairperson.

The meetings of the COMMISSION shall be open to the general public, except executive sessions. A member of the general public may address the COMMISSION, upon written request setting forth concisely the subject matter to be presented, being received by the COMMISSION and consent given thereto by two-thirds of the COMMISSION members present and entitled to vote.

ARTICLE 16 - MEETING MINUTES

Section 1.

Minutes of all COMMISSION meetings shall be prepared by the Accreditation Coordinator, or such members of the staff as designated by said Coordinator.

Section 2.

A copy of the minutes shall be sent to each COMMISSION member prior to the next regular meeting.

These by-laws or any provision thereof may be added to, amended or repealed by two-thirds of the voting members then serving the COMMISSION.

Section 2.

A motion to add to, amend, or repeal the by-laws may be introduced, in writing, at a regular or special meeting of the COMMISSION, but not formally acted upon at the meeting in which introduced. Such changes may be acted on at any meeting, regular or special, thirty (30) days after being presented.

No actions taken by the COMMISSION from the date of its inception to the date of the adoption of these by-laws, shall be affected by these by-laws, notwithstanding that such action may have been taken in a manner inconsistent with the provisions of these by-laws.

Except as otherwise required or permitted by these by-laws, the conduct of the proceedings of the COMMISSION shall accord with Roberts’ Rules of Order.