POLICY #5: Travel and Lodging Reimbursement
POLICY #6: Annual Seminar Host Committee Oversight
POLICY #7: Journal Shipping Expense
POLICY #8: Committee Report Submission
POLICY #9: General Membership Notification
POLICY #10: Annual Training Meeting Fees
POLICY #11: Publication of Applicant Names
POLICY #12: Regional Meetings
POLICY #13: Membership Effective Date
POLICY #14: Release of Member Information
POLICY #15: Member Application Records
POLICY #16: Committee Responsibilities and Records
POLICY #17: Distribution of Policy Letters
POLICY #18: Software Possession
POLICY #19: Minutes
POLICY #20: Subscriber Status
POLICY #21: E-Vote Policy
POLICY #22: Maintenance of Digital Copies of AFTE Journals
POLICY #23: Publication of Announcements
POLICY #24: Distribution of Membership Directory (Roster)
POLICY #25: Records Management Program
POLICY #26: Reciprocal Agreement with American Academy of
Forensic Science (AAFS)
POLICY #27: Agreement with Forensic Technology Inc. (FTI)
for the annual presentation of the Goddard Award
POLICY #28: Permission to Reprint AFTE Journal Articles
POLICY #29:
Pending Final Draft
POLICY #30:
Hardship and
Bereavement Donations
DOWNLOADS:
Policy Letters
POLICY #1
Suggested Guidelines for Annual
Banquet
1.
Outgoing President prior to
dinner will:
1.1.
Determine if any ministers or
priests or other clergy are in attendance to give the
invocation. Any member who passed away during the year should be
remembered.
2.
After Dinner the President Will:
2.1.
Opening Remarks, Welcoming
Everyone
2.2.
Introduction of Dias
2.3.
Introduction of Guest Speaker
(If Present)
2.4.
Recognition of Any Special or
Prominent Guests
2.5.
Presentation of Awards as
Follows:
2.5.1.
Member of the Year
2.5.2.
Key Person of the Year/
Molnar Award
2.5.3.
Distinguished Member(s)
2.5.4.
Emeritus Member(s)
2.5.5.
Outgoing Officer(s)
2.5.6.
Host Committee Recognition
2.5.7.
President’s Recognition
Award (if applicable)
2.6.
Introduction of Incoming
President
3.
Incoming President Shall:
3.1.
Present plaque to outgoing
President, presentation of any other awards, closing remarks if
any.
Note:
The Secretary coordinates with the appropriate Board
Member and Committee Chair to ensure that the correct plaques
are ordered. The Secretary is responsible for the Distinguished
Member awards. Award
plaques are to be ordered ahead of time. If any recipient is
not present, other arrangements for the award should be made.
Note:
Raffle prizes are to be limited in
number and value. The Program Chair along with the Host
Committee shall be responsible for running this. To be done
after the incoming President’s acceptance speech and close of
the meeting.
3.2.
President's remarks for
upcoming year.
3.3.
Officially close the business
meeting.
POLICY #2
Travel
Reimbursement
(Adopted into
Policy 5 May 21, 2011)
POLICY #3
Time
Requirement for Elevation of Member Status
(Archived
12-3-05)
POLICY #4
Interpretation of Points for Distinguished Membership
1.
When an individual attends a
meeting, presents a paper and has the paper published in the
Journal, they will receive one (1) point for attendance and two (2)
points for presenting the paper. No additional points will be
awarded for publishing the same article (if suitable for
publication) in the Journal.
2.
If a paper is published in the
Journal and at a later date it is presented at a meeting, the
individual will receive two (2) points only for the publication of
the paper and no points for its presentation. That individual will,
of course, also be entitled to one (1) point for attending the
meeting.
3.
Two (2) points will be awarded only
for the publishing of a research type paper or lengthy writings of
interesting or unusual cases or new techniques. The short "newsy"
items regarding new products, changes etc. do not require the same
expenditure of thought, time, and effort and will receive one (1)
point.
4.
Refer to Bylaws Article III,
Section 2, sub-section C for further clarity and point distribution.
POLICY #5
Travel
and Lodging Reimbursement
1.
The following named officers within
AFTE will have their airfare and room paid for only while in
attendance at any executive meeting:
1.1.
President
1.2.
1st Vice President
1.3.
2nd Vice President
1.4.
Secretary
1.5.
Membership Secretary
1.6.
Treasurer
1.7.
Immediate Past President
1.8.
Both Members-at-Large
2.
The following named members within AFTE will only have their airfare
and room paid for while in attendance at the yearly training
seminar:
2.1.
AFTE Journal Editor
2.2.
AFTE Webmaster
3.
Room reimbursement is for the named
officer only. If an officer must leave the meeting before the
scheduled termination date, anyone else that is not an officer
occupying that room must assume financial responsibility.
4.
In the event that any of the above
named officers, who in their official capacity and acting
on behalf of the Association have
incurred any debts, they shall be reimbursed.
5.
Any of the above named officers who
may have their way paid by their departments in full will not be
reimbursed. If they are partially paid by their department
then AFTE will pay the balance. (e.g. your air fare is paid by your
department, AFTE will pay only for your room and vice versa).
6.
If a meeting is necessary for
committee work, AFTE will pay for the airfare and nightly lodging
upon Board approval.
7.
Any member who has their way paid
to the annual meeting, executive meeting or committee meeting by
AFTE, will purchase their ticket far enough in advance as to ensure
a reduced travel rate. If one fails to do this, they will be
responsible for the difference in airfare, at the discretion of the
remainder of the Board. If money is needed ahead of time in order to
purchase tickets, the Treasurer will be contacted to forward the
necessary money.
POLICY #6
Annual
Seminar Host Committee Oversight
1.
It shall be incumbent upon the
First Vice President to contact the
Chair of the host sponsoring the Annual Training Seminar at which
they shall preside as President; then work with the Host Committee
Chair through their tenure on the Board of Directors. The effort
will be to support the goals of the committee and to bring the
Annual Training Seminar to a successful end and at a reasonable cost
to the membership. This same Board member will follow up until a
final report is submitted that contains the elements as outlined in
the Host Committee Planning Manual.
POLICY #7
Journal
Shipping Expense
1.
All member dues, other than United
States and Canada currency, shall reflect an additional amount to
cover the cost of shipping the Journal out of the United States.
This will become effective with the 1991 dues.
2.
Effective 2003, AFTE Member
Journals mailed within the United States will be shipped at media
rate. AFTE Members with “ship to address” outside of the United
States will receive their Journals mailed at letter-post rate, often
referred to as Airmail Rate, at no additional cost to their
membership dues.
3.
Subscribers with “ship to
addresses” outside of North America will be billed at a higher rate
to defray or cover the additional cost of the letter post or Airmail
rate.
POLICY #8
Committee
Report Submission
1.
All Committees with the exception
of those otherwise assigned to the President will report to the 1st
Vice President and 2nd Vice President respectively at
least one month prior to the Annual Seminar and the mid-year Board
of Directors meeting. These reports will be in a format as directed
by the AFTE Secretary. All committee reports must be received by
the Board of Directors prior to publication.
POLICY #9
General
Membership Notification
1.
Membership notification will be
done by separate mailings regarding issues that have time deadlines.
Timeliness issues shall include, but are not limited to, dues
matters and Bylaws changes. Beginning in 2004, the AFTE Newsletter
may be used for such notification.
POLICY #10
Annual
Training Meeting Fees
1.
All attendees will pay a
registration fee. The exhibitor’s fee and registration may be
equitably combined to allow one (1) person to take advantage of the
meals and other functions.
POLICY #11
Publication
of Applicant Names
1.
The names of all applicants and
upgrades to Regular Membership will be made available to the General
membership to invite timely comments from the membership that may be
used in consideration by the Board of Admissions.
POLICY #12
Regional
Meetings
1.
At the present time, AFTE members
throughout the world meet regularly in regional groups to share
information. AFTE recognizes the need for members to meet together
regionally and encourages such meetings; however the sponsorship or
control of these meetings are not by AFTE.
1.1.
Use of the AFTE logo for these
regional meetings creates legal entanglements that could affect
insurance and liability for AFTE.
POLICY #13
Membership
Effective Date
1.
The effective date of Membership
status shall be the date when the application process has been
completed, as determined by the Membership Secretary, and forwarded
to the Chair of the Board of Admissions, the Secretary and the
President.
POLICY #14
Release of
Member Information
1.
Any correspondence requesting
personal information shall be directed to the Association
Secretary. Information released shall include only the name,
status, and/or standing.
POLICY #15
Member
Application Records
1.
An audit trail of correspondence is
historically essential to AFTE. It is significant to have such
records when inquiries are made about individuals who are members
and even for those whose applications have been rejected.
Therefore, each applicant for AFTE shall have an individual file
created by the Association Secretary from the original applications
sent by the Membership Secretary.
2.
It shall be the responsibility of
the First Vice President, as the Chairman of the Board of
Admissions, to send each AFTE applicant a letter identifying him/her
as the point of contact while that individual's application is being
processed. All categories of membership actions (upgrades to
Regular, Provisional and Technical Advisors) will be treated the
same. At a minimum, the letter should contain an explanation of the
application process and how long the applicant might expect before
official notification is received. The First Vice President shall
provide the Association Secretary and the Membership Secretary with
a copy of this letter and all correspondence in order to complete
that individual's file. If the applicant is rejected, a copy of the
President's letter notifying the individual that they have been
rejected will also be forwarded to the applicant's file.
POLICY #16
Committee
Responsibilities and Records
1.
When new committees are
established, the President creating the committee shall articulate
his desires with respect to the goals of that committee. It shall
be the responsibility of the person accepting chair duties to
prepare a written statement delineating the Committee's
responsibilities and direction as they understand them. The
statement shall be forwarded to the President within thirty days for
his/her review. Assuming no modifications are necessary, the
President shall forward this document to the Association Secretary.
The Secretary shall create a folder for each committee. Any
official communications related to the Committee's activities shall
include a copy to the Association Secretary for inclusion in the
committee file.
2.
A copy of this policy letter will
be given to each committee chair.
POLICY #17
Distribution
of Policy Letters
1.
It shall be the responsibility of
the Second Vice President to ensure that new incoming member(s) of
the Board of Directors are provided with a copy of all policy
letters before the next meeting of the Board.
POLICY #18
Software
Possession
1.
AFTE shall purchase computer
software for use by the Association officers, the Editor and the
Webmaster for the conduct of Association business. All software
bought by AFTE will remain the property of AFTE and shall be
registered in AFTE's name. For the purposes of licensing, the
mailing address of the Association Treasurer shall generally be
used. Any outgoing Association officer or chair shall pass their
copies of Association software to their successors.
POLICY #19
Minutes
1.
It remains the responsibility of
the Association Secretary to prepare the minutes of the Board of
Directors meetings and the Annual Association business meeting. The
minutes are critical historical recordings of the Association's
business. To ensure the record is complete, the minutes will
contain, at a minimum, all motions, a brief synopsis of discussions
relevant to the motion and the results of votes on those issues.
2.
As an aid to the Secretary, one
Member-at-Large will be designated by the Secretary to assist in
whatever capacity he/she deems appropriate to ensure the activities
of each meeting is thoroughly captured.
3.
The Secretary shall prepare a draft
report of these meetings and provide them to the Board of Directors
not more than forty-five days after the adjournment of such
meetings.
4.
Each member of the Board of
Directors, will review the draft reports and notify the Secretary
within fifteen working days of any omissions, errors or the need for
clarification. Each Board member will be provided with a copy of
any adjusted report. If no corrections are received by the
Secretary, the report can be considered "official". The Secretary
will notify the members of the Board when the minutes are to be
considered "official".
5.
The minutes of the Annual
Association business meeting should be published in the first AFTE
Newsletter following the annual conference and becoming official.
POLICY #20
Subscriber
Status
1.
A subscriber is not a category of
membership. To alleviate any confusion, it shall be the
responsibility of the Treasurer and Secretary to coordinate
maintaining the subscription roster. The subscription application
form shall notify subscribers that a subscription to the AFTE
Journal does not carry with it any membership status.
POLICY #21
E-Vote
Policy
1.
At the discretion of the President,
all correspondence regarding issues being addressed by the Board
will be documented via e-mail or the Board of Directors’ private
“Board Room” forum on the AFTE web site. The Secretary will
maintain a file of all motions and related e-discussions made and
e-votes taken.
2.
The voting procedure will be the
following:
2.1.
The President will call for a
motion from a member of the BOD.
2.2.
The motion will be seconded by
another member of the BOD.
2.3.
The President will call for any
discussion by a termination date. The termination date must
allow for at least a two-week period of time for discussion, or
replies from each member of the BOD, at the discretion of the
President.
2.4.
Should any member of the Board
feel at any time that discussion is inadequate through
electronic media, he/she may request that the discussion and/or
vote on the issue be held until the next BOD meeting.
2.5.
When the termination date is
reached, the President may call for any further discussion,
proceed to call for a vote, or table the discussion until the
next BOD meeting.
2.6.
At each Board meeting, any
e-votes made in the time period since the last Board meeting
will be ratified and the results of that ratification will be
recorded in the minutes.
Approved
December 7, 2002
POLICY #22
Maintenance
of Digital Copies of AFTE Journals
1.
The AFTE Journal Editor will
maintain and also provide digital copies of each Journal to the
Historian and the webmaster.
Approved May 25, 2003
POLICY #23
Publication
of Announcements
1.
Publishing announcements beyond the
scope of AFTE business will consist only of a basic announcement on
the website and/or in the Newsletter for a relevant school or
training. The announcement in fifty (50) words or less may include:
1.1.
Course Description
1.2.
Point of contact (name,
telephone number, fax, or URL)
1.3.
Fee (if applicable)
2.
No graphics will be allowed.
3.
Material will be restricted to AFTE
related subjects.
4.
If there is a tuition charge for
such training a nominal fee may be assessed at the Board’s
discretion.
5.
Training announcements will not be
published in the AFTE Journal.
Approved May
25, 2003
POLICY #24
Distribution of Membership Directory (Roster)
1.
It is
the obligation of the Association to operate in such a manner as to
protect the privacy of its members through the control of a member’s
personal information (Policy #14) and the membership directory
(roster). In support of this obligation, the Association roster, as
property of the Association, may be distributed or provided only
within the following circumstances:
1.1.
The
membership roster has been made available through the
Association’s web site, accessible through the “member’s area”
(password protected). The names included on this roster are
provided for member’s professional application and should not be
distributed by an individual without permission.
1.2.
A
one-time usage of the roster may be provided to members who are
engaged in survey research projects that would directly benefit
the scientific advancement of the forensic field of firearm and
toolmark identification. The approval will only be provided
after a positive recommendation from the Research and
Development Committee and a majority vote of the Board of
Directors. In such instances, the researcher(s) agrees to
maintain the confidentiality regarding the member’s information
and share the research findings with the Association.
1.3.
The
roster may be released to other professional associations on a
reciprocal exchange basis. In such instances, both associations
will agree in writing not to resell the other’s listings nor use
it for any purpose other than those explicitly agreed upon in
the reciprocal exchange.
1.4.
The
membership list may be provided to applicable “for profit”
forensic interests. The use of the list will be restricted to
those whom the Board of Directors determines by a majority vote
are a benefit to the membership. In such cases, the list would
be provided at a minimum cost of fifteen hundred dollars
($1,500) to be deposited into the Scholarship Account. All “for
profit” users will be required to sign a “one-time
use/non-sharing” agreement maintained by the Secretary.
1.5.
The
member roster will not be released for any purpose, other than
those listed above, without direct approval from the Board of
Directors, and will only contain the member’s Journal mailing
address.
1.6.
AFTE
members may request their names be removed from the mailing list
provided to individuals or groups outside of the Association by
providing a written request addressed to the Secretary.
Approved June
5, 2009
POLICY #25
Records
Management Program
1.
As a matter of good business,
organizations should implement and follow sound record management
practices. The Association's records provide evidence of operation
and offer accountability to its members. In order for this program
to be both effective and legal, the records management program must
contain a records retention and disposition schedule (retention
schedules). Implementation of this program will ensure, at a
minimum, the safeguarding of privacy, assistance for making informed
decisions, and historical documentation of the Association’s
actions. Additionally, the retention schedule will reflect the
length of time that records have administrative, legal, fiscal, or
historical value. The schedule will be updated as needed.
2.
A record,
for this program’s purposes, will be defined as information that
documents transactions or activities by or with any officer or
representative of the Association. Sources of records may include,
but are not limited to, paper, electronic (voicemail, email, etc),
disks, photographs, or recordings. The production of a record means
that it must be available for appropriate access throughout the
retention period. However, this does not imply that all records
are for public viewing. Working files are considered records of
day-to-day activity of the Director’s or the committees. Records
that become closed will either be permanently destroyed or become
archived for historical significance.
3.
Methods of Destruction:
the nature of the information contained within the record, as well
as its format, will dictate the method by which it can be
destroyed. When records contain identifying or sensitive
information, the disposition must ensure total destruction. This
may be accomplished through shredding, pulping, burning, electronic
shredded, or magnetic media degaussing. Records that do not contain
identifying information may be destroyed by placing in the trash,
recycling, or electronic deletion.
4.
Working files of all Association
committees will be maintained by the Committee Chair who will act as
the Committee's custodian of records. (see also Policy #16) At the
expiration of their term, the records shall be delivered, at the
expense of the Association, to their successor. If there is no
designated successor, the records will be transferred to the Records
Officer (Secretary) or other named designee. The Records Officer
will also serve as the liaison for the Association in overseeing the
records management program and will coordinate the legal
disposition, including the destruction of obsolete records.
Archived records will be indexed and securely maintained in the
Association’s official storage facility. Archived records may be
made available, upon request, to any member of the Association in
order to conduct official business.
4.1.
Membership records include
application files, promotion application files, and their
supporting documents. These records will be electronically
archived by the Association’s Secretary. Paper versions of
these records will be permanently destroyed; however, the
Membership Secretary may choose to maintain them as archived
files. (see also Policy # 15) Additional electronic and/or
paper copies of a member's file, as held by a member of the
Board of Admissions or Advisory Committee, will be permanently
destroyed once the record becomes archived.
4.2.
Nominating Committee records
will be considered working files for one (1) year from the
election. After one (1) year, these files will be considered
archived. Additionally, the biographical information of the
nominees and the officer slate, as put forth by this committee,
will be archived within the Association annual meeting minutes
and official Association publication.
Note: All Board of
Admission and Nominating Committee deliberations are
confidential and will be maintained as such. (Association Bylaws
Article VII, Section 1 and Article VIII, Section 5.
4.3
Emeritus member applications, processed by the
Advisory committee, will be forwarded to the Secretary for
archiving purposes. Additional paper and/or electronic copies
held by the committee will be permanently destroyed once the
record is archived.
4.4 Fiscal records, to include
such items as bank statements, cancelled checks, and scholarship
distributions have a varying length of retention. These records
should be maintained for the required period and then
permanently destroyed. An index of the destroyed records will
be maintained as an archived record.
4.5 Minutes of the Association’s
Board of Directors mid-year and end-of-the year meetings and the
annual business meeting will be recorded and distributed to the
Association’s membership as defined by Policy Letter #19. These
minutes will be archived as historical records; the storage
format may include, but is not limited to, electronic and
paper. Note: mid-year and end-of-year committee reports are
recorded and archived as a portion of the Board of Director’s
and annual business meetings.
4.6 The records of the
Certification Committee are considered confidential and will be
securely maintained by the Committee Chair. A member's
certification standing is not considered information, as defined
by Policy # 14, subject to release during a membership inquiry.
4.7 Digital copies of the
Association's Journal, Newsletter, and Annual Training
Conference will be maintained by the Association's Historical
Committee, as defined in Policy # 22.
4.8 Photos will be maintained by
the Association's Historical Committee, as defined in the
Committee position duties.
4.9 Applications and
correspondence relating to the selection of the Association's
scholarship recipients should be maintained by the Committee
Chair for a minimum of two (2) years; after which they may be
permanently destroyed. An index of destroyed records should be
maintained with the Records Officer as an archived record and
updated as necessary.
5.
The single exception to the above
policy is the maintenance of the Association's Ethics Committee
files. Files on open cases will be securely maintained by the
Committee Chair. At the end of the Chair's term, all files will be
transferred, at the expense of the Association, to his successor.
Finalized ethics cases will be sealed by the Committee Chair and
transferred to the Association's Records Officer for secure
storage. Access to sealed files will only be available to the
Ethics Committee Chair or other persons authorized, in writing, by
the Committee Chair or Board of Directors. All other file copies
held by other committee members will be permanently destroyed after
the case is finalized.
6.
At this time, Illinois State
regulations do not specify a minimum record retention period;
therefore, the retention times provided have been designed to meet
the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and federal income tax
regulations. Paper records may be converted into electronic files
for retention purposes, after which, the paper version can be
permanently destroyed. The Associations' corporate and member
records, including working records at a board or committee member’s
place of business or residence, on their personal computer, cell
phone or PDA may be subject to a document discovery request in the
event of litigation. In the event of litigation or an investigation,
all routine document destruction will be immediately halted and will
not resume without the written notice from the Association
President.
7.
In addition to the previously
outlined retention requirements, the following schedule attempts to
address the retention of specific documents. Documents that may
fall outside the guidelines of this policy should have their
retention and destruction reviewed by the Records Officer.
8.
Electronic records and paper
records will be treated in the same fashion. Electronic record
backups will be performed routinely.
Approved
December 11, 2010
POLICY #26
Reciprocal
Agreement with American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS)
1.
This policy letter delineates the
agreement made in March 2004 between the AFTE 2003-2004 Board of
Directors and the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS) Board
of Directors regarding cost for attendance at their respective
annual training seminars and provision of a membership booth near
the exhibitor area at respective annual conferences. The AFTE
Board member working with the Chair of a training seminar is
responsible to notify the Seminar Chair of these provisions, and
appropriate information should be included in the registration form
for the conference.
2.
The AFTE Board of Directors agreed
to the following:
2.1.
Member registration rates are
available for AAFS members at the annual AFTE Training Seminar
with the reverse true for AFTE members at the annual AAFS
conference.
2.2.
AAFS will provide AFTE a booth
outside of the exhibitor area for distribution of membership
information at their annual conference and AFTE will provide the
same for the AAFS at the annual AFTE conference.
Approved
April 8, 2011
POLICY #27
Agreement
with Forensic Technology Inc. (FTI) for the Annual Presentation of
the Goddard Award
1.
This policy letter delineates the
agreement made between the AFTE 2003-2004 Board of Directors and
Forensic Technology Inc. (FTI) regarding the evaluation of
nominations for and official presentation of the Goddard Award. The
AFTE President will be responsible for notifying the Training
Seminar Chair of this arrangement.
2.
The AFTE Board of Directors agreed
to the following:
2.1.
Provide two (2) members of the
Board, the President and the Senior Member-at-Large, to assist
with the review and evaluation of applications received by FTI
for the Goddard award.
2.2.
FTI, at its discretion, may
make arrangements on a yearly basis with the President and the
host committee to be placed on the banquet program to make the
award presentation.
Approved
March 11, 2011
POLICY #28
Permission to Reprint AFTE Journal Articles
1.
Requests for permission to reprint
items previously published in the Association's Journal, will be
reviewed by the Editor. Requests will need to be made, to the
Editor, in writing (electronic form is acceptable). The Editor will
review the request and determine if permission will be granted for
reprinting. For profit requests, such as use for classroom
materials, will be limited in nature and must also have Board of
Directors approval. All approved reprints will have the
Association's Journal recognized in the reprint with the original
publication source.
Approved
April 26, 2011
POLICY #29
Pending Final Draft
Approval Pending
POLICY #30
Hardship and Bereavement
Donations
1. The Board of Director’s
recognizes that there are times when tragedy strikes our membership
and the normal sickness and distress fund is inadequate to properly
demonstrate the organization’s commitment to its members.
2. Based on this fact, the Board of Directors may at its
discretion, make a donation to an appropriately set up fund, to help
aid the member or the member’s immediate family.
3. This donation shall not exceed $1000.00
4. This donation should only be made in the direst of
circumstances and may not be given multiple times to the same
individual or fund(s).
5. This donation shall only be disbursed after a majority vote
of the Board of Directors.
Approved October 14, 2011
www.afte.org
> AFTE Business >
Policy Letters
