Section 1720.25  Procedures for Administration of Law Enforcement and Correctional Officers Certification Examination

a)         The Comprehensive Examination will be administered to all trainee law enforcement and correctional officers who successfully complete the Trainee Basic Law Enforcement or Correctional Officers Training Course at a State-certified academy.

b)         Trainees who successfully pass the Comprehensive Examination shall be eligible to receive a certification attesting to the trainee's successful completion of the Minimum Standard Basic Law Enforcement or Correctional Training Requirements.

c)         Certification Examination scores will be reported in writing to the Chief Administrator of the trainee's employing agency within 14 days after the examination date.

d)         Trainees are required to successfully complete the Comprehensive Examination on one occasion only.  There are no requirements for re-qualification.

e)         Only trainees who have successfully completed the Trainee Basic Training Law Enforcement or Correctional Officers Training Course with an average minimum score of 70%, as certified by the Academy Director, are eligible to take the Comprehensive Examination.

f)         Each trainee must be a full-time law enforcement or correctional officer and be employed by a local law enforcement agency.

g)         In the event the trainee fails to pass the Comprehensive Examination on the initial administration, the trainee will be allowed to re-take the Comprehensive Examination a maximum of 2 more times with respect to each appointment.

h)         In order to be eligible to re-take the Comprehensive Examination, a written request must be submitted to the Board by the Chief Administrator of the trainee's employing agency.  Upon receipt of the written request, the Board shall administer the re-take examination, except as may otherwise be provided in subsection (o).

i)          Trainees who initially fail to pass the Comprehensive Examination will be administered an alternate version of the Comprehensive Examination on any successive re-takes.

j)          The Board will establish and publish the locations with the dates and times for the administration of re-take Certification Examinations.  Such exams will be given at least twice every 6 months.

k)         In the event that a trainee fails to successfully complete the Comprehensive Examination and is discharged as an employee by a law enforcement agency, trainee is nevertheless eligible to re-take the Comprehensive Examination if employed by another local law enforcement agency.  The trainee will be viewed as a new trainee by the Board and will be granted all rights that are provided to new trainees as specified in this Part.

l)          The Comprehensive Examination will be administered on site at the academies or at a special testing facility, at the conclusion of the last week of the basic course.

m)        The trainee will have 3.5 hours to complete the Comprehensive Examination.  A trainee will be excused from completing the examination if the trainee is ill and excused by the proctor.

n)         Individuals allowed within the testing area will be limited to Board-approved examination proctors and those who are taking the Certification Examination.

o)         Any trainee who is uncooperative, disruptive or is thought to be cheating during the administration of the Comprehensive Examination will be ordered by the proctor to turn in the trainee examination and to leave the examination area.  A complete written report of the incident will then be submitted to the Executive Director of the Board and to the Chief Administrator of the trainee's employing agency.  The offending trainee shall have the opportunity within 7 days to submit a written report to the Executive Director describing the trainee's version of the event.  In such cases it will be left to the discretion of the Executive Director to determine whether the trainee has forfeited the examination and whether the trainee is eligible to re-take the Comprehensive Examination.  The Executive Director's determination will be based on the nature of the trainee's misbehavior and on the supporting evidence of such misbehavior.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 9369, effective June 23, 2023)