Saturday,
June 27, 2009
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Fraternal Order of Police
District of Columbia Lodge #1
711 4th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
At this meeting we’ll hold our elections for a new board of directors. There is street parking and the FOP Lodge also is convenient to the Judiciary Square Metro stop. DC-COPS needs dedicated individuals to continue its operation and move forward in its support of survivors. It would be a blessing to have no new survivors but reality tells us differently and all of us need to be there. We feel it’s an honor to serve on the board and hope you’ll feel the same. DC-COPS belongs to all of you.
This election is one of the most important in a long while. All board positions are going to be open to nominees and many of us cannot run again because of term limits. Many of these board positions must be filled for our chapter to continue operation.
Who is eligible to vote in board elections?
Any family member (surviving spouses, children, parents, siblings) of a law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty is eligible. Also recognized as categories of survivorship are extended family members, significant others, fiancés, and affected co-workers. In order to the eligible to vote, you'll be asked to sign a membership form at the meeting on June 27. Its only purpose is to confirm that you are a member of DC-COPS, making you eligible to vote (and also lets us make sure your contact information is up to date!)
 Who is eligible for office?
The same rules that apply to voting also apply to running for office. However, survivors aren’t eligible to serve as a board member until at least one year has gone by since the loss of their officer. A board member shall act as an official spokesperson of the chapter, shall serve a two-year term, and shall perform other duties on behalf of the organization as assigned.
Board Position Descriptions
President: Shall be the presiding chief officer of the Chapter, preside at meetings and/or conferences of the chapter and at meetings of the Executive Board; have the option to call special meetings of the Executive Board when deemed necessary, or upon a petition of a majority of the Executive Board; submit appropriate chapter reports to the Executive Board and the C.O.P.S. Chapter Coordinator; make appointments to the Executive Board should a position become vacant; shall perform other duties on behalf of the organization as he/she deems necessary.
Vice President: Shall fill the position of President should the elected President be unable to complete his/her term; shall coordinate chaplain services for the chapter; shall work with Legislators and various levels of government on behalf of the chapter.
 Treasurer: Shall complete necessary State and Federal financial reports required by National C.O.P.S. and submit to the President for review and submission to the C.O.P.S. Chapter Coordinator; shall be responsible for handling all business associated with the bank; promptly deposit all funds; report all expenditures of the Chapter to the membership at the general meeting.
Recording Secretary: Shall take and transcribe minutes of all meetings; providing copies to the Executive Board and to the National Chapter Coordinator; safely keep the Bylaws of this Chapter and keep records of all official amendments; shall prepare, file, and maintain paperwork required by the District of Columbia laws; shall be responsible for the coordination of written communication in the event the Correspondence Secretary is unable.
Correspondence Secretary: Shall be responsible for the coordination of all written communication on behalf of the chapter; shall apprise the National Office of any and all changes of the membership including names, addresses, phone numbers, etc., in a timely manner; shall take and transcribe minutes of all meetings in the event that the Recording Secretary is unable.
Parliamentarian: Shall ensure compliance to the common usage and customs of Robert’s Rules of Order.
 Liaison Officer Chair: Shall be responsible for recruiting ‘liaison officers’ from the many law enforcement agencies in the Washington, DC metropolitan region so that each can communicate information about DC-COPS events with their respective agencies and also act as points of contact in case their department experiences a line of duty death. One of the strongest foundations of our organization is our relationship to the many area agencies and we want to strengthen it further.
Anyone wishing to be nominated for an elected position must submit a letter of intent to President Sterling Spangler with some biographical information by e-mail at president@dc-cops.org. If you'd like to mail it instead, please do it as soon as possible in order for Sterling to receive it by election day. It doesn’t have to be an essay but we do want to know a little about you and why you’d like to be on the board. If you have access to a computer and an e-mail account, an e-mail attachment is best! Remember, send the e-mail to president@dc-cops.org.
For mailing, address the letter to:
Sterling Spangler, Election Committee Chair,
3404 Bitterwood Place, #I-303
Laurel, MD 20724
 Please include your contact information such as phone number, mailing address, and relationship to deceased officer. Upon receipt of the letter, a Nominee’s Pledge Form will be mailed quickly to each candidate. We must have the Nominee’s Pledge Form in hand at election time on June 27; therefore, it must be returned to Sterling before then or it can be brought with you to the meeting itself. This Nominee’s Pledge Form must be notarized. You can do that in advance of the elections but we will be sure to have a licensed Notary Public at the meeting to make things easy for you.
Once you are proudly elected to the DC-COPS board, things will move fast! There is a National C.O.P.S. hands-on training retreat for new board members from July 9-12, 2009, at a lodge on beautiful Sunnen Lake in the mountains of Missouri. Travel expenses will be reimbursed by DC-COPS and you will learn more about the organization and meet dozens of other board members from across the country. Each chapter is required to send at least one member and we’d love it to be you. It’s a great weekend retreat.
Washington, D.C. Chapter, Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc.
P.O. Box 31549
Washington, DC 20030
(202) 332-COPS
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