Monster Media 1993 #2/Image.iso/text/crimftr1.zip/CRIMEFTR.029

Text File | 1993-07-06 | 17KB | 316 lines

                  CrimeFighters International, Inc. (CFI)

                               CFI's Goals

*  Recruit citizen-based groups of CrimeFighters in every community
*  Create a national and international fraternal and social organization
*  Work with all law enforcement agencies, but mainly with the FBI
*  Sponsor local CrimeFighters' seminars on law enforcement topics
*  Publish CrimeFighters' newsletters for CrimeFighters
*  Encourage local, state-wide and national CrimeFighters' BBSs
*  Persuade lawmakers to replace obsolete, ineffective reward laws

                               Organization

CFI has been organized to have one or more groups in each city and State,
similar to Crime Stoppers, to encourage the development of CrimeFighters'
lodges throughout the United States, Canada, and other countries with
similar reward laws. Aside from that similarity, CrimeFighters and Crime
Stoppers differ significantly.

CrimeFighters' lodges will be incorporated as non-profit entities, but
they will be membership organizations where each member will have a vote
in the operation, election of directors and officers of their lodge.
CrimeFighters' lodges will be fraternal and social organizations. Their
board of directors will provide a variety of social activities for members.

CrimeFighters will be actively looking for criminal activity. They will
be working (unofficially) for Federal law enforcement agencies. When they
are trained and capable, they will be actively involved in undercover work
and making arrests. They can elect to be prosecutor, do plea bargaining of
their felony suspects, and will have an far more active, interesting and
profitable role in citizen-based law enforcement.

                          Membership Eligibility

Anyone, regardless of age, race, religion, or sex, may become a member of
CFI.  However, any member who is later convicted of any criminal activity,
or any other conduct detrimental to the desirable image of CrimeFighters,
will have their CFI membership revoked.

                       CrimeFighters' Name and Logo

A sample of a name for your lodge is: "Las Vegas CrimeFighters."
(The name of your city or community to identify your local lodge.)

"CrimeFighters" is a proprietary name owned by Crimefighters International
Inc. Permission to use our name for lodges will be granted free of charge
when applications are accepted by CFI. Permission will continue as long as
the lodge and all its members adhere to the goals and desirable image of
Crimefighters as outlined in this FloppyBook. (CFI guidelines for operation
of local CrimeFighters' lodges will be provided when you receive written
permission to use Crimefighters' name.)

Permission to use CrimeFighters' name and logo can be revoked at any time
should the lodge or any of its members become involved in any disreputable
activity that discredits the desirable image of CrimeFighters.

It is the responsibility of the board of directors of each lodge to closely
supervise and control its members, and to cancel memberships if and when
required. In the event lodges do not supervise and control its members, CFI
may revoke permission for the lodge to use Crimefighters' name and logo,
and all CFI memberships in that lodge will be automatically canceled.

                           Forming Local Lodges

Charter members will be signed up by CFI to start the membership rolling.
Members who expressed their desire to be directors of local lodges will be
contacted by CFI to incorporate their lodge. When incorporated, the new
lodge will receive an up-to-date membership list of members who live in
their area. The new board of directors will invite members in their
neighborhood to join their newly formed lodge.

From then on, the new lodge will also recruit new members by personal
contact and through Crimefighters' seminars. In addition, CFI will continue
to accept applications generated by this FloppyBook. New members who sign
up with CFI via this FloppyBook will be regular members. They will be told
to contact existing lodges in their area. New members may choose which
lodge he or she wants to join. And, members may transfer membership from
one lodge to another without any penalty or additional cost.

Three months after the lodge is incorporated, a general election will be
held to elect a regular board of directors to replace the incorporating
directors. Each member has one vote. Directors and Officers may be re-
elected by popular vote. Directors elect or appoint a President, Secretary
and Treasurer. Annual elections are according to the lodge's bylaws.

Membership dues for regular members signed up by the lodge's recruiting
efforts will be $20 per year. Ten dollars of the $20 membership dues will
be forwarded to CFI for its increasing administrative expenses.

                               Incorporation

Most states have similar incorporation requirements and the U.S. Internal
Revenue Service sets out guidelines on how to qualify for a non-profit
status. A sample set of filled-in documents, and accompanying fill-in-the-
blank forms in a professionally-prepared do-it-yourself kit, makes its easy
to inexpensively prepare the paperwork without a lawyer's help. The Kit
costs $29.95 from a legal publisher. They're listed in CRIMCAT.

Incorporation will be via IRS 501(c)(10) a Domestic Fraternal Association,
with "educational" rather than "charitable" purposes as the reason for the
non-profit status.
                      Educational Goals via Seminars

Lodges will sponsor informal, low-cost, monthly seminars with (possibly) an
FBI agent or local police representative and appropriate lawyers as guest
speakers. Seminars will be open to the public and usually advertised free
in newspapers, TV, and on many public library and supermarket bulletin
boards. Seminars can soft-sell CrimeFighters' concept. Attendees will
be invited to be active or supporting members, and will be asked to contact
active Crimefighters when they have crime-related information.

CrimeFighters' seminars will be used to teach members and the public many
subjects relative to law enforcement. Each month, a different seminar with
different speakers and subjects can provide additional useful information
for citizens and CrimeFighters. Seminars may evolve into "courses", taught
by specialists, on how to make a citizen arrest, drug identification, armed
and unarmed self-defense, and other law enforcement related subjects.

Sponsoring and hosting such seminars will provide CrimeFighters with local
advertising, widespread recognition, and help build public confidence in
local CrimeFighters' groups and their unique role in law enforcement.

Seminar fees of $10 can be charged to attendees to raise funds for lodges,
pay transportation costs of guest speakers, and pay low-cost ($10) room
rent at libraries or public schools. (Check with your library and school
board.)
                             Tax-Exempt Status

The Federal tax-exempt status under 501(C)(10) is for the organization on
money earned or donated to the lodge. It doesn't provide a Federal tax-
credit to the donor. Since the main fund-raising activity of the lodge is
holding seminars and not in soliciting donations, this isn't as important
to Crimefighters as it is to Crime Stoppers. The Fraternal Association
organization was chosen because it allows the formation of individual
lodges that are self-governing and provide fraternal and social activities.

For specific details, see IRS publication 557, Tax-Exempt Status for Your
Organization, Page 33, 501(C)(10).

                              Getting Started

CFI will process membership applications for Charter Members and will issue
membership cards. During the lodge's formative stages in areas where there
are no local lodges, CFI will list new members' names, addresses and phone
numbers (when authorized by the new members) in CFI's monthly newsletters
to help current members make contact with each other.

When there are three or more members in an area, they may decide to start a
lodge. (Three or more are required for non-profit corporation). They can
then recruit new members and hold official meetings. Meetings will be
partly social and partly business discussion.

Informal meetings can be held at coffee shops or restaurants (between meal
times) or at a member's home. For larger groups, many restaurants have a
separate dining room available for wedding receptions. They also make them
available for breakfast, lunch or dinner meetings. Once a week luncheon
meetings is generally the best time for informal or social meetings. The
cost is minimal, often being only the cost of regular meals. Libraries and
schools have meeting rooms or classrooms available, either free of charge
or a $10 - $20 cleaning fee.

The cost of incorporating is about $100 when you can use the forms in the
do-it-yourself kit -- or $300 if you hire a lawyer to do it for you. All
incorporation costs will be reimbursed to key members from funds later
available in the lodge's bank account.

To raise funds, lodges will sponsor CrimeFighters' Seminars and solicit
membership applications for new members and collect membership dues. Lodges
will keep 50% of the fees collected (currently $20). The other 50% (or $10)
will be mailed to CFI with the application for registration and issuance of
CFI membership cards. Any profits from seminars, will accrue to the lodge's
bank account to defray their operating expenses.

                            Computers and BBSs

CrimeFighter lodges can set up BBSs to provide CrimeFighters' services as
skip tracers to members without computers, dial up other BBSs to coordinate
activities, and provide local Crimefighters' forums.

Local BBSs should be available to the public to: post rewards for local
crimes; advertise local seminars; make available current versions of Crime-
Fighters' FloppyBooks; and provide inexpensive advertising to recruit new
members for the lodge.

A state-wide BBS will be established to receive inquiries and pass on
information as a relay station to all CrimeFighters' BBS in their state.
Lodges in that state will contact the state BBS for up-to-date Crime-
Fighters-related information and local (state) laws.

After State BBSs have been established, CFI will exchange information from
and to state BBSs only.  That way, CFI's limited resources won't be over-
whelmed by (possibly) thousands of callers nationwide.  In the meantime,
until a CrimeFighters' BBS is operational in your area, CFI will answer all
requests for additional information by mail only.

               Newsletters: Sharing Knowledge and Experience

Members are asked to submit any information they feel would be helpful
to other CrimeFighters. The CFI electronic newsletter (in FloppyBook
format) will feature a nationwide CrimeFighters' forum to provide on-going
discussion of matters relating to law enforcement. Questions asked one
month will be answered the following month by other members, like they are
in BBS forums and magazines. Monthly newsletters may include legal advice
from lawyers and feedback from law enforcement personnel.

Local CrimeFighters' BBSs will also be used as collection points for items
of interest and comments from local law enforcement agents, which will be
forwarded to CFI for inclusion in newsletters when they're considered to
have a common interest for all members.

CrimeFighters' Newsletters will mention each successful CrimeFighter's
contribution to fighting crime. This will include a report on their success
as well as errors made, rewards paid, by whom, and the name, office address
and phone number of cooperative federal agents who work with CrimeFighters.

A report from all CrimeFighters of the amount of assistance and attitude of
their case agents will be very useful as a guide to other CrimeFighters in
the same area. In this manner, good or bad experiences of each member can
be shared by all for mutual benefit.

The newsletter will also mention, from time to time, various products of
interest to CrimeFighters. These items may be available at a substantial
discount because of the combined purchasing power of CFI membership.

                                 Uniforms

Unlike the Guardian Angels and other civilian police patrols who want to be
identified and highly visible to deter crime, CrimeFighters will not wear
distinctive clothing when "on the job."  A CrimeFighter's uniform will be
regular street clothes, suitable to the area and CrimeFighter assignment.

An exception may be security personnel who have their own (security guard)
uniforms and choose to wear them on CrimeFighter Patrols.

CrimeFighters may, during special occasions, wear CFI insignia on T-shirts,
nylon jackets, baseball caps, and shoulder patches. (Example: Large white
C.F.I. letters on the front and back of dark blue jackets and baseball
caps.) This might be appropriate during social affairs and lodge meetings.
They may also be helpful for fast identification when making arrests of
lawbreakers - like the FBI, DEA, ATF and CIA use as their "battle dress."

                      Individual Membership Benefits

(1) You will have an opportunity to make a better than average income, and
provide a needy and useful law enforcement service to your community.

(2) Membership cards from C.F.I. do not have any official law enforcement
status. But, ID cards might be useful when Crimefighters are (unofficially,
and eventually) recognized by the FBI and local police. ID cards can be
helpful when a CrimeFighter is found loitering or "acting suspicious" while
on a stakeout or patrol.

When anyone asks "what authority do you have?", show them your ID card.
The wording on the front of the card quotes Title 18 USCS 3059 as your
legal authority to make felony arrests in any state. It also states your
Qui Tam right to be the prosecutor of those you arrest or provide infor-
mation leading to their arrest. That's your authority.

(3) Monthly newsletters will be distributed on FloppyBooks to each state
coordinator's BBS. They can be then downloaded by members with computers,
or printed for non-computer owners. The newsletter will keep members up-to-
date as to what's happening with other lodges, with CFI, and any changes in
the federal and state reward laws they should know about.

(4) All CrimeFighters' seminars will be free of charge to members, or at
minimum cost to defray actual expenses.

(5) The Domestic Fraternal Association status under IRS (501(C)(10) allows
group membership insurance eligibility. Full time CrimeFighters and members
without adequate insurance may want to exercise this group insurance plan
option in the near future. A large, national organization can obtain a
group policy with significantly lower premiums than individual plans.

(6) Discounts on a wide variety of CrimeFighter equipment as well as
popular general merchandise will be available in the near future because
of the purchasing clout of thousands of members. Monthly newsletter will
list items and their discounted prices.

(7) Social activities provide members with the opportunity to make friends
and evaluate each other's capabilities as potential partners or backups.
Members can share experiences and CrimeFighter equipment, provide training
to new members, and form various special-purpose teams such as DDT Patrols,
and narc teams.

(8) Annual conventions will provide an opportunity for delegates of each
lodge to make suggestions to maximize effectiveness of citizen-based law
enforcement. Conventions will provide the opportunity for delegates to meet
other members, encourage cooperation between lodges, and foster national
unity and common goals.

(9) Recognition of the name and logo will (eventually) provide status and
certain privileges to members from the public, news media and law enforce-
ment agencies in the United States, Canada, and participating countries.

(10) Membership paraphernalia, such as lapel pins, baseball caps, T-shirts,
shoulder patches, and car window decals will be made available from CFI
when there are enough members requesting them. (Newsletters will make the
announcements.)
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