ANCHORAGE COMMUNITY POLICE RELATIONS TASK FORCE
By-Laws

ARTICLE I
Purpose and Function

To monitor all serious incidents involving minority citizens and the Anchorage area law enforcement agencies and to serve as a liaison between the minority community and citizens and the Anchorage area law enforcement agencies. 

The MCPRTF will monitor employment practices by the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) by working with the Commission for Racial and Ethnic Diversity.

To facilitate this purpose, the notification procedure established by the APD on April 14, 1986 is hereby incorporated.  Complaints are limited to those incidents that occur in the Anchorage area.

ARTICLE II
Membership

Membership shall be comprised of interested minority/ethnic community organization representatives or alternates and interested law enforcement agencies.  The minority community ethnic members shall reflect the needs for diverse ethnic groups as identified by the MCPRTF membership.  Law Enforcement members shall reflect the needs for diverse law enforcement representation as identified by the MCPRTF membership.  Advisory members include the executive directors for the Commission for Racial and Ethnic Diversity and the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission.  Other advisory member includes the United States Department of Justice Community Relations Service.

The present membership shall vote on the eligibility and approval of prospective members.

ARTICLE III
Officers – Elections – Duties

Section 1: Officers:  The officers of the Minority Community Police Relations Task Force shall be as follows: Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary.

Officers of the task force shall be limited to the minority community ethnic members and their alternates.

Section 2: Terms of Office: Officers shall be elected for a term of two years. The chair and vice chair will be elected in staggered terms, starting with the vice chair position in 2001.
 
Section 3: Elections: Annual elections for the officers shall be held at the first meeting in December.

Section 4: Duties of Officers:

A. The Chair shall preside over all meetings of the Minority Community Police Relations Task Force, and shall act as spokesman for the Minority Community Police Relations Task Force.

B. The Vice Chair shall preside in the absence or disability of the Chair
when requested to do so by the Chair, and shall be an ex officio member of all committees.

C. The Secretary shall record the proceeding of the Task Force in a manner that shall be permanent.  Minutes shall be mailed out to each Minority Community Police Relations Task Force member and advisory member at least seven (7) days before the next meeting.  Notices of meetings shall be sent out to all members

ARTICLE IV
Meetings – Voting – Quorum

Section 1. Meetings:   Meetings shall be held on the second Friday of every month at 12:30 p.m. at a location to be determined. Public meetings will be held quarterly to hear complaints and receive comments from the public.  The meetings will start at a time to encourage maximum public participation and will be held at locations to be determined.    Special Meetings may be called by the Chair or by a majority of the membership.

Section 2: Voting: All members of the Minority Community Police Relations Task Force shall have the privilege of voting on the issues presented and may have the courtesy of the floor for discussions as designated by the Chair.

Section 3: Quorum: A quorum shall consist of five (5) members in attendance at any regular or special meeting of the Task Force.  Advisory Task Force Members are counted for purposes of quorum.

Section 4: Executive Session: The Task Force may go into executive session to discuss law enforcement personnel matters or police investigation reports.  The executive session is authorized by a vote in open session.  No final action, decision, or vote shall be taken while the Board is in executive session, except as provided by law.  The Task Force shall reconvene the open meeting after an executive session prior to adjourning the meeting.  During the executive session, all persons present in the executive session will be read the admonition on the confidentiality of the executive session minutes and deliberations.  Members of the Task Force can attend and participate in executive session.

ARTICLE V
Attendance –Resignation –Vacancies

Section 1. Member organizations shall designate one representative to attend meetings of the Minority Community Police Relations Task Force.  Each member organization shall designate an alternate representative to attend meetings in the absence of the regular representative.

Section 2. Absences: A member intending to be absent at a regular meeting shall request to be excused in advance of the meeting from which he/she will be absent. Such request may be made through the AERC Advisory member to the Chair. Members who have three or more consecutive, unexcused absences (in a calendar year) will be replaced and a new representative will be appointed.

Section 3:  Resignation: If a member can no longer fulfill his/her duties, a letter of resignation shall be submitted to the Chair.

Section 4:  Vacancies: Vacancies occurring on the Minority Community Police Relations Task Force shall be filled by nomination and approval by vote of the body.

ARTICLE VI:
Amendments

These rules may be amended by the vote of the majority of the appointee members of the Task Force at the regular meeting of the Task Force.  The notice of such meeting must reasonably state the proposed amendment.

ARTICLE VII
Parliamentary Authority

The parliamentary authority for the Minority Community Police Relations Task Force shall be “Robert’s Rules of Order” (Newly Revised)

These Bylaws are approved by majority vote of the Minority Community Police Relations Task Force on February 8, 2002.

Reverend Dr. William Greene, Chair
Minority Community Police Relations Task Force