SB1925 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 17227 AWJ 22688 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB1925

Introduced 2/26/2021, by Sen. Rachelle Crowe

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

50 ILCS 705/8.1	from Ch. 85, par. 508.1
55 ILCS 5/3-6001.5

Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that, in counties with a under 3,000,000 inhabitants, a person is not eligible to be elected or appointed to the office of sheriff after the effective date of the Act unless he or she has a certificate attesting to his or her successful completion of the Minimum Standards Basic Law Enforcement Officers Training Course as prescribed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board or a substantially similar training program of another state or the federal government. Amends the Counties Code making a conforming change.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning local government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Police Training Act is amended by changing Section 8.1 as follows:

(50 ILCS 705/8.1) (from Ch. 85, par. 508.1)

Sec. 8.1. Full-time police and county corrections officers.

(a) After January 1, 1976, no person shall receive a permanent appointment as a law enforcement officer as defined in this Act nor shall any person receive, after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1984, a permanent appointment as a county corrections officer unless that person has been awarded, within 6 months of his or her initial full-time employment, a certificate attesting to his or her successful completion of the Minimum Standards Basic Law Enforcement and County Correctional Training Course as prescribed by the Board; or has been awarded a certificate attesting to his or her satisfactory completion of a training program of similar content and number of hours and which course has been found acceptable by the Board under the provisions of this Act; or by reason of extensive prior law enforcement or county corrections experience the basic training requirement is determined by the Board to be illogical and unreasonable.

If such training is required and not completed within the applicable 6 months, then the officer must forfeit his or her position, or the employing agency must obtain a waiver from the Board extending the period for compliance. Such waiver shall be issued only for good and justifiable reasons, and in no case shall extend more than 90 days beyond the initial 6 months. Any hiring agency that fails to train a law enforcement officer within this period shall be prohibited from employing this individual in a law enforcement capacity for one year from the date training was to be completed. If an agency again fails to train the individual a second time, the agency shall be permanently barred from employing this individual in a law enforcement capacity.

(b) No provision of this Section shall be construed to mean that a law enforcement officer employed by a local governmental agency at the time of the effective date of this amendatory Act, either as a probationary police officer or as a permanent police officer, shall require certification under the provisions of this Section. No provision of this Section shall be construed to mean that a county corrections officer employed by a local governmental agency at the time of the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1984, either as a probationary county corrections or as a permanent county corrections officer, shall require certification under the provisions of this Section. No provision of this Section shall be construed to apply to certification of elected county sheriffs in counties with over 3,000,000 inhabitants.

(c) This Section does not apply to part-time police officers or probationary part-time police officers.

(Source: P.A. 101-187, eff. 1-1-20.)

Section 10. The Counties Code is amended by changing Section 3-6001.5 as follows:

(55 ILCS 5/3-6001.5)

Sec. 3-6001.5. Sheriff qualifications. A On or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly, except as otherwise provided in this Section, a person is not eligible to be elected or appointed to the office of sheriff, unless that person meets all of the following requirements:

(1) Is a United States citizen.

(2) Has been a resident of the county for at least one year.

(3) Is not a convicted felon.

(4) Has a certificate attesting to his or her successful completion of the Minimum Standards Basic Law Enforcement Officers Training Course as prescribed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board or a substantially similar training program of another state or the federal government. This paragraph does not apply to a county with more than 3,000,000 inhabitants or to a sheriff currently serving on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 98-115, eff. 7-29-13.)