Governance

History records that some fifty police chiefs accepted a meeting invitation from Omaha, Nebraska Police Chief Webber Seavey in 1892 to explore ways in which they could join together to fight crime and improve police services. The following year these same police officials formally created an organization to foster those goals. The organization is known today as the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).

The IACP is a leadership organization committed to advancing the profession of policing by promoting enhanced practices, cooperative efforts and the exchange of information among police administrators and other institutions and organizations. The association works to bring about the recruitment and training of qualified individuals into police agencies and encourages police officers worldwide to maintain the highest standards possible.

Governed by this Constitution and its Rules, the IACP is led by an Executive Committee that encompasses a Board of Officers representing the full spectrum of police executives from across the United States and around the world. The IACP maintains a professional staff at its international headquarters who implement the plans and programs approved by the IACP leadership.

Membership in the association is designed for individual police professionals worldwide and the IACP refrains from engaging in political disputes between and among nations.

This document presents both the general philosophies of the IACP and the specific rules that govern its operations. Though it is left to the Executive Committee to adjust the Rules, all changes to the Articles of the Constitution can be made only with the support of IACP's ultimate authority, the membership.

Click here for the IACP Constitution.