The By-Laws of the Kansas Police Dog Association are intended to act as operational guidelines for the association.  The guidelines are enforced by an executive board of directors and are upheld by the membership of the association.

Article I
Establishment of Association; Requirements under IRS 501(c)(3)

The Association shall be known as the Kansas Police Dog Association. The Kansas Police Dog Association is organized exclusively for the purposes listed in Article II, “Purpose,” and is hereby formed as an educational and testing for public safety organization. No part of any monies coming into possession of the Kansas Police Dog Association shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers or other private persons, except that the Association shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article II hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the Association shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation with the exception of advising lawmakers with regards to normal, accepted practices of police canine team training and certification. In addition, the Association shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these By-Laws, the Association shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by requirements of the Internal Revenue Code with regards to 501(c)(3) of such code.

Upon dissolution of the Association, all assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction of the County in which the principal office of the Association is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 28th day of May, 2008.

Article II
Purpose

The purpose of the Kansas Police Dog Association is to:

1. Promote professionalism and integrity regarding the use of trained dogs in law enforcement and the public safety field.
2. Promote and provide the latest techniques and training methods, along with any information available to maintain a quality service dog.
3. Provide assistance to agencies wishing to implement a service dog program.
4. Provide the citizens of Kansas with better service dogs by establishing a practical and minimum standard of certification for service dogs.

Article III
Membership

The organization shall consist of four types of membership:

Active K-9 Member -- Any commissioned Law Enforcement Officer (municipal, county/parish, state, federal, military, etc.), or any person whose primary job purpose is public safety and welfare, who handles or trains within a canine unit. Individuals who handle service dogs for agencies listed, but are not employed full-time for same, shall file a letter describing the departmental policy and intent of the utilization of member and canine. The active K-9 member shall not be one who receives only personal gain from the canine.

Active K-9 members may vote and hold office.

Associate Member -- 1) Any commissioned Law Enforcement Officer, or person supervising a canine unit meeting the criteria of the active K-9 member. 2) Any commissioned Law Enforcement Officer not affiliated directly in the utilization of police service dogs. 3) A non-commissioned person who trains public service dogs for Law Enforcement or other public safety agencies. (Resume of training credentials and agency references shall be available upon request of KPDA).
Associate members may not vote or hold office.

Honorary Member -- Former K-9 member who is retired from an established law enforcement or other public safety agency in good standing, and/or individuals who support the KPDA and its views and who are admitted into the KPDA with majority vote of the members.

Honorary members do not pay dues.
Honorary members may not vote or hold office.
Note: Honorary members must be nominated by an Active K-9 member, in writing, and voted on by voting members.

Corporate Membership -- Any business, person or organization, not affiliated with Law Enforcement Agencies, who wishes to promote and assist the KPDA in their mission of the betterment of police canine programs.

Corporate members may not vote or hold office.

Article IV
Dues

Memberships shall be renewed annually. Annual dues will be accepted through May of each calendar year. After May 31, there will be a $10 re-application fee. For new members joining within the calendar year, dues will be pro-rated from the nearest quarter to year-end.
Dues for all classes, except Corporate Membership, shall be $35 annually. Dues for Corporate Membership shall be $50.00 annually.

Members may be dropped from the Association due to non-payment of dues.

Article V
Termination of Membership

Membership may be terminated by:

1) Resignation: Any member, in good standing, may resign by giving written notice to the Secretary/ Treasurer. Resignation shall be effective upon receipt of letter.

2) Lapsing: A member shall be considered expired if a member’s dues is not paid by May 31. A re-application fee of $10 shall be paid in order for membership to be reinstated. After June 1, non-paid memberships shall be considered expired and a new application will have to be filled out and accompanied by the appropriate dues and fees. Members with elapsed membership may not vote.

3) Termination: A membership may be terminated and member dropped from the KPDA by: Conviction of a crime; using the KPDA for personal gain; discrediting the KPDA or its members. The Board of Executive Directors shall vote on the status of a member in regards to being dropped from membership. It must take a majority vote of the Executive Board to terminate a membership.

Article VI
Discipline

Upon presentation to the Executive Board of sufficient probable cause warranting an investigation or inquiry into the conduct of any member, said member shall be notified immediately in writing. The notification shall be made by either the President or designee and shall include a summary of the allegations. The notification may also include a request for explanation. The member shall respond, in writing, to the President within ten days of the notification. Failing to respond within the deadline will be deemed a concession to the allegations, as stated.

The Executive Board shall then decide on one of the following:

1) Dismissal of the allegations
2) Scheduling of a hearing
3) Acceptance of resignation
4) Letter of Censure
5) Suspension of Membership
6) Termination of Membership

Article VII
Officers and Executive Board

Officers of the KPDA shall be Active Members, in good standing, and consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer and two At-Large Directors.

All officers shall be elected by the majority of eligible voting members of the Association, and a majority vote shall prevail.

All officers, with the exception of Secretary/Treasurer, shall be in office for a term of one year, starting June 1. The office of Secretary/Treasurer shall be a term of two years.

Vacancies in offices may be filled by a majority vote by the Executive Board. Appointments shall be for the unexpired terms of offices.

Officers may not hold the same office for more than two terms consecutively.

Officers:

President -- shall preside at all regular and special meetings and have the power to call special meetings. The President shall have the power to appoint committees and a Chairman of the same. The President shall be responsible to schedule meetings, training sessions and yearly certifications. The President shall perform other duties as are usual of the office, not disregarding the popular vote of the membership.

Vice-President -- shall assist the President in his duties and act as President Pro Tempore in his absence. In the event of death, disability, termination, or the resignation of the President, the Vice-President shall succeed the position of the unexpired term.

Secretary/Treasurer -- shall be the custodian of all official documents and records of the Association. He shall read the minutes of prior meetings and record the proceedings of the present meetings. He shall record the presence and/or absence of members at meetings. He shall keep records of all members, the standing of each, and the status of their dues. The Secretary shall be responsible for the collection of monies that are due the Association. and shall keep accurate records and deposit all monies in an institution appointed by the Executive Board of Directors. He shall draw money from the account when directed so by the President and/or the Executive Board of Directors. When money draws are more than $50, the Treasurer must have permission of the majority of the Executive Board of Directors. The Secretary shall only expend funds that will directly benefit the Association and the Executive Board of Directors shall be notified of every expenditure, either prior to the expense or immediately following the expense, regardless of the amount. This notification can be made in person, via phone, via mail or through electronic mail. The Secretary shall pay all bills of the Association. and he shall provide the President and members of the Executive Board with a financial statement at each business meeting. The Secretary will also prepare quarterly statements to be sent to the Executive Board of Directors each January, April, July, and October outlining all expenditures, deposits and other activity related to the KPDA bank account(s). The Secretary will ensure that financial records of the association are inspected in July of each calendar year by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) not associated with the organization. In addition, should the CPA communicate the necessity for a full audit, the Secretary shall insure it is completed. The results of such inspection and/or audit shall be presented and available at each certification seminar.

Directors -- shall act as agents of the Executive Board and have voting power on all Executive Board decisions.

Executive Board of Directors -- Shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer and two Directors. The Executive Board shall meet three times a fiscal year with one meeting being at the time of yearly certification.

The Executive Board shall approve all expenditures in excess of $50, and they shall be notified of every expenditure regardless of the amount.

The Executive Board shall be provided with reports from any committee activities that might exist. Only in emergency cases may the Executive Board act for the entire membership by majority vote.

All Executive Board members are required to attend at least two-thirds of the meetings held per year. Those not complying with this requirement may be removed from their office.

Article VIII
Financial Decisions, Records and Responsibilities

The Kansas Police Dog Association shall use only approved banking institutions for all financial activities. The Secretary shall be charged with maintaining records of all activities surrounding the association funds including, but not limited to, income, deposits, debits, expenditures and bank statements. These records are to be maintained indefinitely, and shall not be destroyed without the authorization of the entire Executive Board of Directors.

During each certification, new signature cards shall be completed with the signature of the President, Vice-President and Secretary/Treasurer. This signature card will ensure that more than one person has access to the account in case the Secretary becomes unavailable.

Under no circumstance is any member/officer of the Association authorized to obtain any line of credit, credit card, or other revolving credit without the prior authorization of the entire Executive Board of Directors. Should such authorization occur, it shall be in writing, signed by each Executive Board member and it shall be maintained as part of the official KPDA records. Every attempt should be made to avoid the use of credit cards and lines of credit.

The Secretary does have the option to obtain and maintain a debt card attached to the official KPDA checking account. The purpose of this card is to ensure the association has the ability to meet financial obligations and/or purchase items needed for seminars. The card will only be used to facilitate purchases that directly benefit the association, as a whole, and all records must be maintained in accordance with this article. Upon termination, resignation, or at the end of the members term as Secretary, the card shall be turned over to the Executive Board of Directors. If the card is in the individual members name, it shall be destroyed and a new card ordered with the new Secretary’s name.

The Executive Board of Directors shall be made aware of any such card being held by the Secretary.

No funds will be expended from the Association unless the expense directly benefits the Association as a whole, or when required to pay approved or recurring bills as directed by the Executive Board of Directors. Every expenditure, regardless of amount, will be communicated to the Executive Board of Directors either prior to the expense or immediately following the expense. This is to be done without exception.

Bank statements, deposit slips, copies of checks and any other documentation surrounding the Association banking account(s) will be kept and filed with the official KPDA records. Under no circumstances will any record or document, with regards to financial records, be destroyed without the prior approval of the Executive Board of Directors.
The Secretary will be responsible for maintaining accurate and balanced records relating to all KPDA bank accounts. In addition, the Secretary will prepare quarterly reports during the months of January, April, July and October of each calendar year. These quarterly reports will include all income, deposits, debits, withdrawals, and expenses made during the preceding quarter. The report will be communicated to the Executive Board of Directors and will include current balances of each account.
Inspections are to be facilitated on the KPDA bank account(s) during July of each calendar year. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who is not associated with the KPDA will conduct these inspections. The results of the inspection shall be communicated to the entire membership, and shall be physically available for inspection by the membership, at the next annual certification seminar. Should the CPA conducting the inspection communicate the need for a full audit, the Secretary shall notify the Executive Board of Directors and ensure that the audit is completed. These records will not be destroyed without the prior approval of the Executive Board of Directors.

Article IX
Meetings

1) The KPDA shall meet a minimum of two times per year to conduct a general business meeting.

2) Training sessions may be held at the same date as the business meetings.

3) One meeting shall be held at the annual certification at which time new officers shall be elected.

Article X
Amendments to the By-Laws

Amendments to the by-laws must be submitted to the President and members of the Executive Board at least thirty days prior to the certification business meeting. A majority vote of active members will adopt the amendment to the by-laws. Amendments to the by-laws shall be voted on at the certification business meeting.

Article XI
Certification Judges

Judges to judge the annual certification shall be approved on by the Executive Board. When possible, judges shall not certify dogs they have trained. Judges utilized by the KPDA should have experience in the discipline in which they are judging (i.e. patrol work, narcotic work, etc.). Anyone chosen to judge, who is not a qualified trainer, will be required to co-judge at least five (5) canine trials with an approved judge to ensure consistency, reliability and validity. Certifications needed at times other than the annual certification seminar can be conducted by an approved judge at a time and place agreed upon by the judge and the handler. The judge will be responsible for completing and returning the certification scoring sheet to a member of the Executive Board of Directors for the issuance of a certificate.

Article XII
Certification of Canine Teams

Certification of canine teams within the Association shall be scheduled in conjunction with the annual business meeting by the board of directors and the members. The President has the authority to schedule certification based on the availability of judges and certification sites. The judges’ decision shall go unchallenged during the certification process. Any appeal of a judge’s decision shall be made to the Vice President or designee at the conclusion of the exercise. The appeal shall be heard and voted on by the Executive Board, taking a unanimous decision of the board. A successful appeal shall result in the repeat of the appealed exercise.