(a) The following persons shall be eligible for active membership:

(1) Property/evidence officers, technicians, specialists, clerks, or custodians directly assigned to the property/evidence function, or supervisors having actual supervision of the property/evidence function, and receiving salaries from any legally constituted national, state, provincial, county, municipal, or other duly constituted law enforcement agency/jurisdiction including railroad police system, railway police express, or public police or sheriffs department.  Active members retain their active status upon retirement, provided there is no interruption in membership.

  (a) Any person not eligible for active membership, but qualified by training and experience in law enforcement activity, or by professional attainments in police science or administration, shall be eligible for associate membership in the association. 

  (b) Associate members shall have all the privileges of active membership, except for holding office and voting.

  (c) The following classes of persons are eligible and qualify for associate membership: 

(1) Personnel employed by a public law enforcement agency. 

(2) Employees of city, county, state, provincial, and national agencies with technical responsibility for law enforcement related storage of property/evidence. 

(3) Prosecuting attorneys and their deputies of city, county, state, provincial, territorial, and national governments. 

(4) Employees of accredited colleges and universities engaged in teaching, research and other phases of criminal justice. 

(5) Staff or employees of crime institutes, govemmentat research bureaus, coordinating councils, law enforcement associations, and similar agencies engaged in research involving the property/evidence storage function. 

(6) Persons who have made a significant contribution to the field of law enforcement property and evidence. 

(7) Any retired member of a law enforcement agency.