By-Laws

Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club, Inc.®

Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club was established as a Non-Profit organization for those select dedicated Law Enforcement Officers who desire more for themselves and their fellow officers. The Club is an independent organization that has no financial or fraternal affiliation with any Law Enforcement Agency or other Motorcycle Club. Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club recognizes all members from Federal, State, County and Municipal Law Enforcement agencies who support and cherish the true values and meaning of the Constitution of the United States of America. Members recognize the need to reestablish traditional Law Enforcement values among our brothers and sisters by promoting a professional connection with the citizenry and other Law Enforcement Officers while engaging in rides and functions that reflect positively on the Club. Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club Riders will respect the value of all members of Law Enforcement and the citizenry, regardless of Race, Religion, Sex, Age, or Disability. Members will aspire to attend functions that are sponsored by other LEMC’s (Law Enforcement Motorcycle Clubs) or charitable organizations that promote enthusiasm for safe riding and support our local communities. Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club sponsored events will focus on promoting brotherhood & Sisterhood among Law Enforcement, fundraising for non-profit charities, and increasing enthusiasm for riding motorcycles.

Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club consists of Territories that represent each of the 50 United States of America. Each of these Territories will consist of individual Posses that will be identified by their geographical boundary.  

A Rider of a Posse is a full member and must be a Law Enforcement Officer, in good standing, either currently employed or retired. This will include members of Law Enforcement Corrections Officers. A Rider may sponsor their spouse as a member of a Posse, and the Club Insignia worn by the spouse will reflect that status on the bottom rocker. 

A Rider of a Posse must be licensed to operate a motorcycle within the respective state of residency. A Rider of a Posse must own a cruiser style motorcycle that is maintained to ensure safe operation. There will be no probationary period for new Riders of the Posse. A Law Enforcement Officer’s courage and community commitment eliminates the need for any type of probationary period. Once an individual is granted full membership, a Rider’s Handbook will be issued.

An Associate Rider of a Posse is someone who is a family member of a Rider and must be approved by all Riders of a Posse in a specific Territory. Associate Rider membership will be granted on a very limited basis and will only be offered to those who have no criminal history involving a Felony or incident of Moral Turpitude. In any situation, Associate membership will never exceed 10% of the maintained total number of Riders for a specific Posse; spouses will not be counted to calculate this percentage. An Associate Rider of a Posse will have a probationary period. The probationary period will serve as a means of allowing all the Riders of a Posse to become familiar with the Associate. There is no specified length of time for the probationary period; this will be determined by the Posse Vice President and the dedication and enthusiasm of the Associate Rider seeking membership. This is necessary since 100% of the Riders of a Posse must approve the Associate’s acceptance into the club. Each Associate Rider of a Posse will be required to provide written consent for the completion of a personal background check to ensure the probationary Associate has no criminal history or past affiliation with any organization that is contradictory to the beliefs of Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club. Once an individual is granted Associate membership, a Rider’s Handbook will be issued. 

An Associate Rider of a Posse must be licensed to operate a motorcycle within the respective state of residency. An Associate Rider of a Posse must own a cruiser style motorcycle that is maintained to ensure safe operation.

Insignia:

The Insignia consist of the top rocker that displays the Club name, the center patch, the bottom rocker that displays the Territory, and MC patch. The Insignia is displayed as public identification of our membership to the club, similar to the Insignia worn on our Law Enforcement uniforms or official identifications, and should not be referred to as “Colors”. The Insignia incorporates the common colors utilized by the various Law Enforcement agencies throughout the United States and should be treated with the same respect. The Insignia will be sewn to the Rider Vest in accordance with the Rider’s Handbook. Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club will always maintain ownership of all club Insignias, the individual Rider of a Posse, Associate Rider or spouse is only granted use of the club Insignia. The Insignia for Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club was designed by the Founder and can not be altered in any way. The Insignia will be installed on the vest in accordance with the Rider’s Handbook.  

Rider Vest:

The Rider Vest will always be made of black leather and consists of the club Insignia, the American Flag, and name patch. The back side of the Rider Vest will not be marked or stitched with a “Name Brand” or “Manufacturer Logo”. All Riders of a Posse, Associate Riders, and spouses will maintain these items on the Rider Vest, no exceptions. Because Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club supports and cherishes the true values and meaning of the Constitution of the United States of America, the American Flag will be the first item sewn on the Rider Vest. There will never be any patch, pin, or other item placed on the front of the Rider Vest, above the American Flag. There will be no items of vulgarity placed on the Rider Vest. This will include any items of sexual innuendo, profane language or picture, or any acronym referring to profane language or careless insult. The Rider Vest will be shown the same respect as our Law Enforcement uniform or attire. Nothing contained above will prohibit the individual member from attaching personal items to the Rider Vest so long as those items are not contradictory to the belief and values of Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club.  

The Rider Vest will either be worn by the member or secured in the member’s home or other secure place. Rider Vests will not be removed and left unattended for any reason. If an exigent circumstance arises, the Rider Vest will be turned over to a member of Steelhorse Fellowship MC, ONLY!

The Rider Vest will be assembled in accordance with the Rider’s Handbook. 

Territory:

A Territory is a geographical areas designated by the 50 United States of America. Within each Territory there will be individual Posses designated by the Founder for the purposes of identifying a specific location where a group of Posse members live and operate a branch of the club. A Territory should not be referred to as a “Chapter”. A Posse should not be referred to as a “Chapter”. When establishing a Posse, the Founder will take into consideration the types of Law Enforcement agencies in the designated area as well as the applicable geographical boundaries. This is to ensure that every Law Enforcement agency in the geographical area can feel comfortable participating with the club, with no single agency having dominance over a particular Posse. This is meant to encourage brotherhood among all agencies operating within the boundaries of a specific Posse. Each Posse’s Vice President will be designated by the Founder, taking into consideration a vote by Riders of that particular Posse, in accordance with the Rider’s Handbook. Each Posse is encouraged to democratically identify one charitable organization that will be designated as a “Core Responsibility”. A Core Responsibility is a charity that a Posse will strive to donate time to or raise money for, at least one time during the year. Of course Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club encourages its Posses to attend as many motorcycle functions for non-profit charities as possible, but it is an honorable practice to have at least one Core Responsibility that a Posse supports.  

Dues:

An initial membership fee is paid by the member at the time the member is issued the club Insignia. This fee is not a purchase of the club Insignia by the new member, but serves as a means to offset the cost incurred by the Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club to professionally accept another member and cover the costs associated with a new member’s acceptance into the club as well as administrative costs. Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club will always maintain ownership of all club Insignias, the individual member or spouse is only granted use of the club Insignia. Each Rider of a Posse and Associate Rider of a Posse will pay monthly dues, except spouses, who will pay no monthly dues. Every Posse will be responsible for its own finances and will use collected monthly dues for the sole purpose of maintaining the Posse’s local financial obligations and assisting with Territorial financial obligations. Each Posse will have the option of increasing monthly dues for the purpose of expanding the positive impact the Posse has on the local community and contributions to local non-profit charities. Any increase in Posse dues must be unanimously agreed upon by the Riders of that Posse and should never cause unreasonable financial duress for the membership. All adjustments of membership dues will need the approval of the Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Founder or Territory President.  

Meetings:

Each Posse will be required to call at least one meeting of the Posse quarterly. The United States Pledge of Allegiance will signify the start of every meeting. There should be an assigned scribe that will memorialize the minutes of the meeting. A copy of the minutes will be maintained by the individual Posse and a copy will be forwarded to the Territory Vice President.  

Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club will designate a date and location for a yearly Executive Board Meeting. The United States Pledge of Allegiance will signify the start of every meeting.  This meeting will be attended by each Territory President or designee, at a minimum and each Posse Vice-President or designee, at a minimum. Of course an invitation to every Rider of a Posse is automatically extended. Every year a different Territory or Posse will have the opportunity to host the Executive Board Meeting. This is done to ensure that no single Territory or Posse is favored or dominant over any other Territory or Posse. There will be a designated scribe to memorialize the minutes from the meeting for distribution to each Territory.  

Association:

Riders of a Posse, Associate Riders of a Posse, and Spouses will not hold membership in any of the following:

      Any other Motorcycle Club or Motorcycle Association. This rule does not exclude membership in HOG (Harley Owners Group) or similar Motorcycle Owner associations groups. Refer to the Rider’s Handbook for additional information regarding this issue. Any desired association will be examined by the Territory President, keeping in mind Constitutional Rights of the affected member.

      Any Club or Association that endorses criminal activity or that has been deemed a criminal or suspected criminal organization by Federal or Local Law Enforcement. This will include any secondary association or membership. A good rule to follow is whether or not the organization is the type that your agency would consider contradictory to your position as a Law Enforcement Officer. Refer to the Rider’s Handbook for identified organizations that are considered “Off Limits”.

      Any organization that professes a belief that is contradictory to the United States of America or the United States Constitution.

The following are designated Officer Titles.  No member will display more than one Officer Title on the Rider Vest. The following Officer Titles will refer to National Officers, Territory Officers and local Posse Officers, as well as the necessary qualifications:

President                (Must be a Rider of a Posse)

Vice President        (Must be a Rider of a Posse)

Administrator         (Must be a Rider of a Posse)

Sergeant At Arms   (Must be a Rider of a Posse)

Road Boss               (Must be a Rider of a Posse)

Secretary *             (Must be a Rider of a Posse or Associate Rider of a Posse)

* This position may be held by an Associate Rider of a Posse at the discretion of the Territory President. This is a special exception that must be democratically approved by the Territory President and affected Posse Vice President. The Rider’s handbook should be consulted for specific requirements.

Members will wear their Rider Vests during all Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Club rides and Club functions. This will be similar when attending Steelhorse Fellowship MC supported LEMC functions and civilian functions. Members will wear their Rider Vests when attending Posse, Territory or National Meetings.

When riding in a group greater that three, the Riders will operate their motorcycles according to the formation outlined in the Rider’s Handbook. Safety is the most important function while on the job and it is the same while operating a motorcycle.  

Members of Steelhorse Fellowship Motorcycle Cub will always display the greatest amount of respect for their brother and sisters in the club, just as they would toward members of Law Enforcement.

All National Officers, Territory Officers, Posse Officers and Members will utilize the Rider’s Handbook to direct the club functions. During instances of contradiction or ambiguity, the Founder reserves final authority.

All founding members of a new Posse need to be presently employed or retired Law Enforcement or Law Enforcement orientated Corrections Officers. They need to already own a cruiser style motorcycle and possess a valid motorcycle driver’s license. There should be some understanding of the procedures for establishing a non-profit organization in the proposed Posse location, as well as knowledge of the laws and statutory requirements for establishing this type of organization.