As police officers we are tasked daily with the duty of requiring others follow the rules. Sometimes we get so busy assisting others in this task that we forget to follow the rules ourselves. All local lodges should have a copy of the Constitution & By-Laws from their local, State and Grand Lodge, the Grand Lodge Ritual Book and a copy of Roberts Rules of Order. These are the manuals that govern how our organization runs.
When each of us takes the oath of office you are being granted a privilege to use the authority of that office for the best interest and welfare of the lodge and all its members and not for personal gain. Under the “Oath of Obliga-tion” each elected officer swears to the best of their ability to comply with all the laws and rules of this Order; that they will recognize the authority of superior officers, obey all the laws, rules and edits of the Grand Lodge and support the Constitution & By-Laws.
I tell you this because I have received several complaints from across the state ranging from how meeting are conducted, how decisions are made and how elections are held. Following up on these complaints I have found that if the elected officers had followed the Constitution & By-Laws and/or the Ritual Book these complaints probably would not been made. Continued on page 2
The Members of the 106th General Assembly were sworn in at noon on January 11th, thus beginning the first session of the 2011 General Assem-bly. There will be more than 2000 bills filed in the upcoming weeks. Many of these will have an impact on you and your working conditions. The Ten-nessee Fraternal Order of Police will be tracking these bills and updating you on your support of them in upcoming weeks. This is a list of the bills we plan to ask to be filed in the next few weeks.
Fraternal Order of Police Associates License Plate.
Adding the Fraternal Order of Police President to POST.
Making the Police Officer Bill of Right apply to all officers that are paid overtime by FLSA.
Fixing some of the problems in 39-17-1350, law enforcement officers permitted to carry firearms.
State-wide “Blue Alert” system to speed the apprehension of violent criminals who kill or seriously injure law enforcement officers and to aid in the location of missing law enforcement officers.
Amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 38, Chapter 8, relative to complaints against certain law en-forcement officers.
Amend Tennessee Code Annotated relative to memoranda of understanding between governments and employees, if approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the legislative body.
Amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40, relative to the issuance of warrants and criminal summons on Police Officers.
IMPORTANT CHANGE REGARDING NATIONAL CONFERENCE DELEGATES
Grand Lodge General Counsel has issued an opinion that will change the way conference eligibility will be granted in Salt Lake City. It is vitally important that all local and state secretaries take notice
The interpretation of National Constitution and By-Laws used to determine na-tional delegate eligibility that spanned the administration of three National Secre-taries, and some 30 years, will end for the upcoming conference. For a lodge to be able to seat delegates, the lodge’s Per Capita must be received in the Na-tional Headquarters on or before May 1, 2011.
If the Grand Lodge does not have your lodge’s Per Capita by that date , National Conference credentials for Salt Lake City cannot be issued to your lodge.
I do not feel this new interpretation expresses the intent of the National Constitu-tion and By-Laws or the delegates who approved it over three decades ago. This is evident from the fact that this has never been challenged until now. I have al-ready drafted a By-Law change to fix the conflicting language moving forward and will present this to the delegates this August in Salt Lake City.
Meanwhile, YOU MUST HAVE YOUR LODGE’S PER CAPITA PAID TO THE GRAND LODGE BEFORE MAY 1, 2011 TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR DELEGATE STATUS.
Patrick Yoes National Secretary
TENNESSEE STATE FOP
I know from experience that police officers, on a whole don’t like change and just because something has always been done in a certain way does not make it the right way to conduct lodge business.
You should conduct all lodge meetings and rituals as prescribed within those documents. If your lodge does not have a copy of the State or Grand Lodge Constitution & By-Laws or the Grand Lodge Ritual Book please contact Daylene at the State Lodge and she will email you a pdf copy. Robert’s Rules of Order books can be purchased at any bookstore.