Code of Conduct, By-laws and Rules of PSOCF

PARANORMAL SOCIETY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

CODE OF CONDUCT

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this policy is to establish rules of conduct, which shall Govern all members, volunteer’s, trainees, and other individuals representing Paranormal Society of Central Florida hereafter referred to as PSOCF.

The Officers of PSOCF is:

Shereen……………President/Lead Investigator

Tracy .......................Vice President

Erin………………....Recording Secretary

Lynn………………..Treasurer

Jennifer……………Case Manager

POLICY:

1. A code of conduct exists to which all members of PSOCF shall be expected to conform to and comply with as a condition of membership with PSOCF.

2. Violation of the code of conduct is considered just cause for PSOCF to invoke disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

PERSONAL CONDUCT:

1. All parties shall demonstrate an ongoing awareness of client’s right to privacy, PSOCF members shall not:

A. Reveal the names of clients utilizing PSOCF services to unauthorized persons or agencies, or acknowledge whether a person is or is not a PSOCF client.

B. Talk about clients at home or with friends or convey information that could identify a client’s personal information.

C. Provide verbal or written information to anyone without signed authorization from the client and the permission of PSOCF.

2. Members shall demonstrate an ongoing awareness of the client’s right to an objective, professional relationship. This awareness will be demonstrated by:

A. Focusing on the client’s needs, concerns and problems.

B. Avoiding non-professional, emotional attachments with a client.

C. Avoiding social contacts, such as dating with clients. Attending social functions together, or establishing a friendship outside of the professional relationship, must be discussed and approved by the PSOCF Officer’s at the time.

D. Never borrowing or lending money to a client.

E. Never having a sexual involvement with a client.

F. Never giving or accepting gifts without exploring their significance with the PSOCF officers.

3. The dignity and worth of every individual shall be recognized. Members shall not discriminate against clients, other PSOCF members or other members of the community based on race, color, religion, handicap, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, marital status, national origin or age.

4. Members shall dress in their PSOCF shirts, black pants or shorts, tennis shoes (no sandals or open toed shoes). Anyone showing up for an investigation in non-appropriate attire will be sent home.

5. Members shall conduct themselves in a dignified and respectful manner at all times.

A. The use of offensive, foul language is prohibited in the presence of clients.

6. Displays of detrimental and/or destructive behavior which might have a negative impact on morale, efficiencies, or the ability of other members to perform their assigned duties is not acceptable behavior.

A. Members shall not discuss personal, private, or financial information in front of a client.

B. Members working with family members, shall not bring problems from home.

7. Members are expected to adhere to PSOCF guiding principles and to all PSOCF policies and procedures at all times. A member is expected to:

A. Thoroughly acquaint himself/herself with all policies, procedures, standards, and protocols of PSOCF.

B. Voice disagreements with other staff only for positive purpose of resolving misunderstandings or conflicts raising the possibility of revision of outdated policies, improving internal protocols or concerns related to “Best Practice” issues.

C. Never UNDERMINE the confidence of clients by voicing disagreements with PSOCF policies in the presence of the clients or non-members of PSOCF.

D. If any member has a conflict with another member and the conflict is irresolvable between them. The members involved shall not be allowed to do investigations together. If this is still irresolvable then both members must resign his/her membership with PSOCF.

FIST FIGHTING OR FIGHTING IN GENERAL IS GROUNDS FOR IMMEDIATE TERMINATION. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!!!

8. Members must possess the ability to constantly assess their own personal and professional biases in professional relationships and to evaluate their professional effectiveness.

HARRASSMENT:

1. PSOCF prohibits any type of harassment of any nature to any of its members during PSOCF meetings, time spent out of the field, or any time when a member is representing PSOCF.

2. Harassing conduct, whether committed by an officer or new member is prohibited.

THERE WILL BE NONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

A. Sexual flirtations, advances, or propositions.

B. Verbal abuse of sexual nature.

C. Graphic verbal comments about an individual’s body.

D. Degrading words, sexual or otherwise used to describe an individual.

E. Groping or fondling any member or client is grounds for termination.

3. Any member who believes that he/she has been harassed, should report the alleged act to an officer of PSOCF immediately.

The person who is doing the harassing will be asked to stop, if they do not stop then they will be terminated immediately.

MEMBERS PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES ON FIELD INVESTIGATIONS:

PURPOSE:

To define a PSOCF member role as a field investigator, within the group.

It is the policy of PSOCF to instill professionalism in its members under all circumstances.

PROCEDURE OF INVESTIGATIONS:

1. Investigators will be chosen by the President or Vice President of PSOCF to be included on specific investigations. Members will be rotated on an experience level and availability of cases. No less that four members will be on any case, @ officers must be on every case PSOCF does.

A. If a member is unable to attend the investigation he/she has been chosen to attend, notification by the member to the PRESIDENT OR VICE PRESIDENT by phone must be done as soon as possible so that PSOCF can replace that member on the investigation. If a chosen member continuously turns down the opportunity 3 times to be a part of an investigation, then that member will be put on the non-active member list.

B. If a case has been cancelled; the President or Vice President will call all members involved in the case to let them know. If the case is rescheduled at a later date, then those members will have first chance at going before any other member is called.

2. Chosen members will show up at the designated location on time and ready to begin the investigation. If any member is more than 15 minutes late, they will be sent home.

3. If chosen to do a investigation, then that member is responsible for bringing their own snacks, drinks, flashlight, logs, pens, paper and any other equipment they may have.

4. CELL PHONES ARE TO BE TURNED OFF OR ON VIBRATE. DO NOT ANSWER WHILE INVESTIGATING. NO PERSONAL CALLS UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY.

5. Each person will be given a assignment and partner for the investigation by the Lead Investigator. If for any reason a member cannot carry out his or her duty, he/she is to inform the lead investigator that gave them the assignment so that it can be reassigned.

6. There will be no smoking in any inside locations!!!!!!!!

An area outside will be setup for a break area for smokers.

Even if the client is smoking and says it is ok. If you are seen doing this, you will be asked to wait outside until we are finished with the investigation. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!!

This compromises our evidence. No alcohol or illegal drugs will be tolerated and this is cause for immediate dismissal from PSOCF.

No unauthorized weapons of any kind unless you have a permit to carry said weapon will be allowed. If you have a weapon on an investigation and do not have a permit to carry it, you will be asked to leave immediately.

PLEASE LET THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT KNOW IF YOU HAVE A WEAPONS PERMIT AND A WEAPON ON YOU.

DATA COLLECTED ON INVESTIGATIONS:

All collected positive data from any field investigation becomes property of PSOCF. If a member is using their own equipment to collect data, copies of all positive data must be turned in with the members log or notes to be included in the case file and report. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A. All logs, notes, and positive data must be turned in to the Lead Investigator with in a week of the investigation. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!

B. No evidence collected by members will be considered positive until viewed and listened to by the whole group that is involved in the said investigation.

C. All positive evidence is to be held confidential by all members of PSOCF.

D. NO MEMBER MAY REPRODUCE ANY POSITIVE EVIDENCE FOR PERSONAL OR PUBLIC USE FOR ANY REASON WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT AND OFFICERS OF PSOCF.

Violations of the evidence policy are grounds for dismissal from PSOCF.

No member shall grandstand, undermine or demean the Officers of PSOCF or any member in training at anytime in private, on an investigation or in public. Any member caught or repeatly complained about for acting in any of the manners stated above will be considered to be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

FAILURE TO ABIDE BY THE ABOVE RESPONSIBILITIES IS GROUND FOR DISMISSAL FROM PSOCF.

Paranormal Society of Central Florida

Also known as PSOCF.

By-Laws

Article I

Name and Jurisdiction

Section 1.

This organization shall be known as Paranormal Society of Central Florida. And has been in existence under that name since March 4, 2006.

Section 2.

The jurisdiction of this organization is in the State of Florida and the southern parts of Alabama and Georgia.

The principal office of this organization shall be located in the County of Orange, State of Florida. The organization may have such other branches either within or without the State of Florida as the President may require from time to time.

Article II

Objects

Section 1.

The objects of this organization shall be:

A. To scientifically and without prejudice explore the realm of the supernatural with a special emphasis on the topics of ghosts, hauntings, poltergeists and life after death.

B. To attempt to prove the existence of ghosts through on- site investigations at alleged haunted locations with the aid of special equipment.

C. To record such findings in the organization's official paranormal reports.

D. To examine all forms of evidence for the existence of ghosts including; psychic photographs, audio sounds and any physical proof gathered.

E. To turn over to the President or Vice President all evidence found in any of the above said equipment. ( Photos, EVP, etc.)

F. To receive, manage, invest, expend or otherwise use the funds and property of this organization to carry out the duties and to achieve the objectives set forth in these By-Laws and for such additional purposes and objects not inconsistent therewith as will further the interests of this organization and its members, directly or indirectly.

Article III

Eligibility for Membership

Section 1.

Subject only to the specific conditions stated hereinafter, any person of good moral character who has an interest in the paranormal shall be eligible for membership at the discretion of the Officer's.

Section 2.

Anyone wishing to become more involved with the organization may become an Active Member by subscribing as either a Sustaining Member or a Contributing Member if he or she meets the following requirements:

A. All Active Members must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age and have a valid ID or driver's license and agree to a background check prior to joining.

1. He/she must fill out an Application For membership and submit to a photo ID.

A. He/she must attend meeting/interview with the group prior to being invited to be on a 90 day probationary period before acceptance in PSOCF.

B. He/she must attend all meetings.

C. He/she must also attend all mini-meetings held at a place determined by the President or Vice President during scheduled Field Investigations.

Section 3.

No person shall be eligible for membership if:

A. He/she refuses to obligate himself to promptly pay the required membership dues and also renew promptly when notified.

B. There is reason to believe that he/she may not adhere to and abide by

the By-Laws and our rules and regulations.

C. He/she advocates race, religious or class hatred.

D. His/her attendance to meetings or mini-meetings, Field Investigation, Special or Field investigations falls below par in the 3 month ( 90 day probation period) period.

Section 4.

Your Active Membership can be permanently revoked if:

A. Attendance to PSOCF sponsored events falls below average.

B. Divulging privileged or confidential information gathered at Field Investigations with anyone outside the PSOCF circle.

C. Attempting to undermine the credibility of the organization in anyway.

D. Failure to attend a scheduled PSOCF investigation.

E. Chronic tardiness to a PSOCF.-sponsored events.

Section 5.

Other membership points:

A. The Officer's have the exclusive right to deny Active or Regular Membership to anyone who does not meet with the high standards set forth by PSOCF.

B. All membership cards, including photo id's, are the exclusive property of PSOCF, and must be surrendered to the President upon request when dropped from the organization, member resigns or failure to renew said membership promptly.

C. Active Members will be issued ID's which remain the property of the PSOCF, and must also be surrendered when requested.

D. All Active Members are given a trial period of 90 days and evaluated at the end of that time. It is then up to the Officer's whether or not the said member will be invited to renew as an Active Member. Renewal points taken into consideration are: attendance to meetings, Field Investigation, Special and Field Investigations, ability to learn and grow with the PSOCF, neatness of appearance, willingness to contribute to the society as a whole and other general membership practices.

E. The Officer's are not obligated in anyway to retain any individual that doesn't meet with the above mentioned criteria and others deemed necessary by the Officer's.

F. PSOCF. will not accept members who already have their own paranormal research organization established at the time of their joining or who is a member of another paranormal research group. This is a conflict of interest and there will be no exceptions.

G. The Officer's reserve the right to put a member who is unable to pay fee’s on a non-active list and they will be called on a as needed basis.

Article IV

Officers

Section 1.

Officers of this organization shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Case Manager. The above mentioned five officers are the only members eligible for a voting.

Section 2.

A. All officers are elected by the Officer Team and will remain the same unless someone leaves the group or resigns from their seat. Then a replacement for the position will be voted on by the reaming members of the Officer Team.

B. The vote will be done by ballot and placed in a box for the president or vice President to see and announce the new officer.

C. Elected officers have a slightly higher ranking than an Active Member and are offered some special privileges.

To be considered for a position, you must maintain a better than average attendance to all meetings and Field Investigation.

Section 3.

It shall be the Duty of the President:

A. To preside at all meetings of this organization and to preserve order therein. She shall appoint all committees and shall also have the right to serve on all committees by virtue of her office.

B. To review and approve all final reports of investigations.

C. T maintain all personnel files.

Section 4.

It shall be the Duty of the Vice-President:

A. To preside at all meetings in the absence of the President. He/she shall perform such other duties and render such assistance as may be directed by the President.

Section 5.

It shall be the Duty of the Secretary:

A. To record minutes at all meetings, and within one week of the meeting present a copy of said minutes to all members (this can be done by email.)

B. To assist the President at meetings with the distribution of material.

C. Maintian a record of all meeting minutes.

D. Send Investigation Thank-You letter to all clients with in one week of closing investigation. A copy of the letter must be forwarded to the President to include in the investigation folder.

Section 6.

It shall be the Duty of the Treasurer:

A.. Maintain all said Bank reports and ledgers.

B. Send out a bimonthly email to remind all members of dues, also keep President informed of anyone who is deliquent on dues.

C. Collect and record all dues.

D. Give an accurate report at all meetings.

Section 7.

It shall be the Duty of the Case Manager:

A. To report directly to the President.

B. To research and investigate new leads as directed by the President and to report such findings to the President without exception .

C. To assist other Active Members on scheduled Field Investigation and Special or Field Investigations.

D. To preside at any meetings in the absence of both the President and Vice-President.

E. To have top seniority over any other Active Members or Field Investigators.

Section 8.

It shall be the Duty of the Field Investigator:

A. To report directly to either the President, Vice President or Case Manager in that order.

B. Assist both the President, Vice President or Case Manager in examining or gathering data or information.

C. May be given new leads to investigate by the President or other officers.

D. Minimum age requirement is 21 and must be Sustaining Member Status or above.

Section 9.

Other appointed officices:

(These positions are appointed by the President and are not members of the officer team.)

A. Special Consultants are individuals within the United States that are not necessarily members of PSOCF. They are called upon by PSOCF. for their expert opinions in the subject of the supernatural and/or the paranormal.

B. Assistant Case Manager is an individual appointed to assist the Case Manager with duties as requested,and reports directly to the Case Manager and President.

C. This organization does not allow for a Board Of Directors nor will it ever.

These By-Laws may be added to as needed.

PARANORMAL SOCIETY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

These rules were presented to and voted upon by the group. They may be added to at anytime by the group.

RULES OF THE GROUP:

First and foremost when going on an investigation, always remember to say our prayer before and after the investigation.

1. Lead Officer, case manager and equipment manager will go into investigation dwelling with the client in order to get a feel for the place and to find out all the hot spots for paranormal activity. Then after walk thru have Equipment manager and his/her team go in and set up equipment.

2. If any member see’s or senses something they will keep it to themselves and just ask another member to come check out the spot or area. Then they both will tell a third person in private what they have seen or felt. The third person will then validate the findings.

3. The client is not to be told or shown evidence until after we have our meeting and go over all the evidence/findings of the investigation. The evidence will be given to Lead Investigator with in one (1) week after a investigation with a small report of their findings.

A report will be written and will be approved by the Lead Investigator and then sent along with copies of pictures, EVP’s, etc… to the client.

4. Kit containing Holy Water and Sea salt will be kept on site of each investigation. Also a first aide kit will be kept on site as well.

5. All PSOCF members are to wear dark colored pants, shorts and shirts to all investigations, preferably black for visual clarity if capturing objects on film.

6. Any planned investigation MUST have two (2) officers on location.

If you are chosen for a investigation, it is mandatory that you attend the meeting prior to and after the investigation.

7. Case manager’s will keep a calendar and schedules of each member so an investigation can be scheduled and set as to who will be going. A coordinated schedule of team and clients is very important to avoid conflict and assure two (2) officers will be on the investigation as well as a sufficient amount of members.

8. We will hold two (2) open investigations to allow new members to join. One in February and the other in October. Unless we vote as a group on a new member joining at other times not specified as above months.

All new members will be on a 90 day probation period and current officers will vote after 90 days as to the member being a permanent member of PSOCF or let go.

If you can not attend a meeting, let a officer know within 3 days of the meeting.

If a member is unable to make the meeting, it is their responsibility to get any handouts and find out what is happening. The meetings will not be canceled because of other team members not being able to attend.

10. Member dues are due every other month.

Please give your dues to the treasurer at the beginning of the meeting.

(Dues are $10.00. Due in January, March, May, July, September, November).

A.) Dues are for covering the following: Gas, film development, any equipment we may need, any damage we may cause accidentally on an investigation, etc…

B.) Out of town expenses such as food and lodging will be paid by each member for themselves.

11. Anyone not paying dues or miss three (3) meetings will be put on non-active member list and called only when needed.

12. Two weeks notice by E-mail will be given to all members before a investigation, unless it’s on an emergency type basis and the client is upset ,scared or a child is involved and needs us right a way. PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL’S

13. Group will be opened minded about trying new techniques suggested by other members of the group.

14. If something is broken by a member on an investigation in a client’s home. That person is responsible for paying for it to be fixed or replaced.

15. A refresher meeting will be held every three (3) months to go over new information on the paranormal and to also refresh our minds on things we have learned.

16. P.S.O.C.F. has a five member officer team that consists of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Case Manager. All officer positions will remain the same unless a member leaves or gives up their seat. If a officer leaves or resigns from their position, then a vote will be taken with the remaining four officers as to whom will fill that position.

17. No children allowed on investigations.

18. When not doing any investigations, any group member may suggest doing an investigation of their choosing.

19. When an officer is unable to make a meeting, anything voted on will go by the majority of votes given.

20. If anyone leaves the group, they have the option of selling any equipment they have bought for the group or they may keep it.

21. Any questionable pictures will be shown to officers and the officers will write down on paper what they think it is then discussed with group.

22. Nothing will be discussed until the end of the investigation.

ALL MEMBERS are to give the Lead Investigator a written report on the Results of Investigation’s form (it can be by email ) and any evidence with in one (1) week of anything they witnessed or seen in photo’s, Evp, etc.. on an investigation. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!! We don’t want clients waiting for answers, this causes them more anxiety than they need and gives us a bad name for not getting back to them in a timely manner. All picture’s must be numbered on back.

23. New members must be over 21. Have a current photo ID and be subject to a background check for the safety of others in the group.

24. All members must sign a waiver of liability and its to be kept on file.

25. If scheduled to do a investigation and unable at the last minute to do it, you must contact the Lead Investigator, or one of the other officer’s or active member of the group if unable to reach a officer so that we can cover your spot. ( as stated in code of conduct)

26. If at anytime you are suspected of being intoxicated or high on drugs at an investigation, you will be terminated from the group immediately and told to leave.

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