“Murder is unique in that it abolishes the party it injures, so that society has to take the place of the victim and on his behalf demand atonement or grant forgiveness; it is the one crime in which society has a direct interest”
W.H. Auden“The Guilty Vicarage”
MISSION STATEMENT
It is the function of the Ontario Homicide Investigator’s Association to bring together the men and women charged with this responsibility and to provide a forum through which they can share their skill, knowledge and expertise for their professional development and support.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
Ø To share skills, knowledge and experience: Through regular meetings, association members will share and discuss their success, failures and unique experiences for the benefit and education of their colleagues.
Ø To develop and maintain an environment of teamwork and cooperation between police services and related agencies: the development of professional relationships between homicide investigators from various jurisdictions will serve as a conduit for assistance and cooperation.
Ø To identify and react to universal investigative problems: the sharing of information will allow members of all services to be alerted to any type of problem arising out of violent death investigations. The Association will serve as a forum to discuss, evaluate and recommend effective solutions to these problems.
Ø To provide a case conferencing forum: in drawing on the sum experience of its membership, the Association will provide a vehicle for problem solving and/or case review as requested.
Ø To enhance the expertise of officers engaged in death investigations: The Association will strive to enhance the expertise of investigators by offering assistance, training and guidance in the field of death investigation.
Ontario Homicide Investigators Association Charter
A. Charter Membership
1. The Ontario Homicide Investigator’s Association (herein referred to as the Association) is comprised of members of police services and related government agencies that are involved in the investigation of unlawful death.
2. The member agencies are drawn from the Province of Ontario.
3. Membership in the Association may only be granted to a bona fide police agency or government agency directly involved in unlawful death investigation and whose members are subject to an oath of secrecy.
B. Charter Membership Role
Barrie City Police Service
Brantford Police Service
Chatham-Kent Police Service
Durham Regional Police
Guelph Police Service
Halton Regional Police
Hamilton Police Service
Kingston Police Service
London Police Service
Niagara Regional Police
Office of the Coroner of Ontario
Office of the Fire Marshall
Ontario Police College
Ontario Provincial Police
Peel Regional Police
Major Case Management Ontario
Midland Police Service
Toronto Police Service
Waterloo Regional Police
Windsor Police Service
York Regional Police
C. Organization
1. The Association will be a single body with two separate components; The Executive and Membership.
2. The Executive:
All Executive members will serve a two-year term commencing on the date of their election. The Executive will consist of the following members with duties as described:
i. Chair: The Chair will be responsible for the overall direction and guidance of the Association. The Chair will be responsible for the conduct and execution of the Association meetings including the establishment of the meeting agendas. The Chair will be responsible for ensuring that the tenets and practices ascribed in the Association Charter are adhered to. The Chair will ensure all elections and meeting votes are conducted according to established parliamentary procedure.
ii.Vice-Chair: The Vice-Chair will assist the Chair as required. The Chair will act on behalf of the Chair in his or her absence.
iii. Secretary: The Secretary will be responsible for keeping and maintaining the records of the Association. The Secretary will be responsible for the preparation and dissemination of Association materials to the membership as required.
The Secretary will ensure that proper minutes are kept of all Association business. The Secretary will keep an accurate record of all Association votes on business and elections. The Secretary will assist the Chair as required.
iv. Treasurer: The Treasurer will be responsible for the collection of membership dues and the maintenance of the Association financial accounts and records. The Treasurer will be responsible for creating and maintaining an accountable system for the Association funds. The Treasurer will prepare an annual report on the finances of the Association for dissemination to the Membership. The Treasurer will assist the Chair as required.
v. Past Chair The outgoing Chair will sit on the Executive for a two year term following the election of a new Chair.
3. Executive Elections
i. At the end of a two-year term the Chair will set a meeting date for elections.
ii. Members must be given a minimum of two weeks notice of the meeting.
iii. The termination date of the incoming Executive will be established on the day of election.
iv. In order for the Executive elections to proceed, a member Agency quorum of two thirds must be in attendance.
v. Membership agencies will be allowed one (1) vote per agency.
vi. Nominees for election must be nominated and seconded as per proper parliamentary procedure.
vii. Nominations will be closed only by the Chair and seconded by an executive member.
viii. For each executive position the nominations will be taken and the vote conducted prior to moving on to the next position.
ix. The order of voting will be; Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer.
x. The election will be overseen and conducted by an independent scrutineer appointed by the Chair. The Scrutineer will not be a member of the Association.
xi. All election voting will be done by secret ballot.
xii. A majority of one is required to win a vote.
xiii. In the case of a tie the Scrutineer will conduct a second ballot.
xiv. If the second ballot fails to decide a winning candidate, the members of the Executive present will conduct a vote to decide the winner. In the event a member of the Executive is one of the tied candidates, he or she will be excluded from the vote.
1. Membership Body
i. The Membership will consist of members from the Charter Membership role.
ii. Any member attending a meeting of the Association will have one vote on general Association business.
iii. Members may be called to assist the Executive as required.
iv. Organizations or services seeking membership in the Association must be nominated by a charter member service and the nomination must be seconded by another charter member service.
v. Nominations and seconded nominations shall be forwarded to the Executive via e-mail.
vi. The Chair will advise the representative from each member organization and service via e-mail of any nominations prior to the next scheduled Association meeting.
vii. Following a successful nomination, the applying organization or service will be required to make a brief presentation to the membership in an open meeting format.
viii. Following the presentation, a vote will be held by the membership on the application using the Association rules for Executive elections.
4. Quorum:
i. A quorum on a membership vote requires 2/3 of the charter member agencies present.
ii. In the event sufficient members are not in attendance to form a quorum, at the discretion of the Chair, a representative from a member organization not in attendance may vote via proxy, phone, or e-mail.
iii. Members shall declare a conflict of interest in any membership vote where he or she has a direct pecuniary interest.
5. Membership Dues:
i. The Executive will determine the annual membership fees per agency every two years.
ii. Member agencies will be required to pay fees on an annual basis.
iii. Member agencies will pay annual fees no later than the end of April in any calendar year.
E. Meetings
1. The Association will meet a minimum of four times a year.
2. The location of the meetings will rotate between membership agencies.
3. The Chair will determine the date and location of meetings.
4. The host agency will be responsible for providing the meeting facilities and the Association will be responsible for the cost of refreshments up to a maximum amount determined by the Executive at the beginning of each two-year term.
5. At the discretion of the Chair, a host agency may be reimbursed for expenses in excess of the maximum amount due to special circumstances.
6. Meetings may be called on an ad hoc basis if required and if determined to be necessary by the Chair.