Public Act 103-0623
 
SB2778 EnrolledLRB103 36824 AWJ 66935 b

    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Counties Code is amended by changing 
Sections 3-7008 and 3-8010 and by adding Section 3-6008.5 as 
follows:
 
    (55 ILCS 5/3-6008.5 new)
    Sec. 3-6008.5. Veteran testing. An applicant who is a 
veteran, as that term is defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), who was 
discharged honorably or generally under honorable conditions 
no later than 6 months before applying may request examination 
to occur before the next scheduled examination date and, if 
requested, may be examined as soon as possible prior to the 
next examination date following receipt of the application. 
Once the applicant passes the examination and all other 
requirements to be on an eligibility list, the applicant shall 
be immediately placed on the eligibility list. Nothing in this 
Section waives eligibility for the applicant to receive 
military preference points during the application process or 
employment.
 
    (55 ILCS 5/3-7008)  (from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008)
    Sec. 3-7008. Appointments. The appointment of deputy 
sheriffs in the Police Department, full-time deputy sheriffs 
not employed as county police officers or county corrections 
officers and of employees in the Department of Corrections 
shall be made from those applicants who have been certified by 
the Board as being qualified for appointment. Certification 
for appointment in one department shall not constitute 
certification for appointment in another department. 
Certification may be made at any point prior to appointment 
and may be made in conjunction with the Sheriff's application 
process. All persons so appointed shall, at the time of their 
appointment, be not less than 21 years of age, or 20 years of 
age and have successfully completed 2 years of law enforcement 
studies at an accredited college or university. Any person 
appointed subsequent to successful completion of 2 years of 
such law enforcement studies shall not have power of arrest, 
nor shall he or she be permitted to carry firearms, until he or 
she reaches 21 years of age. Any person appointed shall be a 
citizen of the United States, an individual who is legally 
authorized to work in the United States under federal law and 
is authorized under federal law to obtain, carry, or purchase 
or otherwise possess a firearm, or an individual against whom 
immigration action has been deferred by the U.S. Citizenship 
and Immigration Services under the federal Deferred Action for 
Childhood Arrivals (DACA) process and who is authorized under 
federal law to obtain, carry, or purchase or otherwise possess 
a firearm. In addition, all persons so appointed shall be not 
more than the maximum age limit fixed by the Board from time to 
time, be of sound mind and body, be of good moral character, 
have not been convicted of a crime which the Board considers to 
be detrimental to the applicant's ability to carry out his or 
her duties, possess such prerequisites of training, education 
and experience as the Board may from time to time prescribe, 
and shall be required to pass successfully mental, physical, 
psychiatric and other tests and examinations as may be 
prescribed by the Board. Preference shall be given in such 
appointments to persons who have honorably served in the 
military or naval services of the United States. All 
appointees shall serve a probationary period of 12 months and 
during that period may be discharged at the will of the 
Sheriff. However, civil service employees of the house of 
correction who have certified status at the time of the 
transfer of the house of correction to the County Department 
of Corrections are not subject to this probationary period, 
and they shall retain their job titles, such tenure privileges 
as are now enjoyed and any subsequent title changes shall not 
cause reduction in rank or elimination of positions.
    An applicant who is a veteran, as that term is defined in 
38 U.S.C. 101(2), who was discharged honorably or generally 
under honorable conditions no later than 6 months before 
applying may request examination to occur before the next 
scheduled examination date and, if requested, may be examined 
as soon as possible prior to the next examination date 
following receipt of the application. Once the applicant 
passes the examination and all other requirements to be on an 
eligibility list, the applicant shall be immediately placed on 
the eligibility list. Nothing in this paragraph waives 
eligibility for the applicant to receive military preference 
points during the application process or employment. 
(Source: P.A. 103-357, eff. 1-1-24.)
 
    (55 ILCS 5/3-8010)  (from Ch. 34, par. 3-8010)
    Sec. 3-8010. Certification of applicants. The appointment 
of all personnel subject to the jurisdiction of the Merit 
Commission shall be made by the sheriff from those applicants 
who have been certified by the Commission as being qualified 
for appointment. A Commission may, by its rules and 
regulations, set forth the minimum requirements for 
appointment to any position. In addition, the Commission's 
review of any application may include examinations, 
investigations or any other method consistent with recognized 
merit principles, which in the judgment of the Commission is 
reasonable and practical for any particular classification. 
Different examining procedures may be set for the examinations 
in different classifications but all examinations in the same 
classification shall be uniform. However, the Merit Commission 
may by regulation provide that applicants who have served with 
another sheriff's office, a police department, or any other 
law enforcement agency, or who are graduate law enforcement 
interns as defined in the Law Enforcement Intern Training Act, 
may be exempt from one or more of the minimum requirements for 
appointment. Preference may be given in such appointments to 
persons who have honorably served in the military or naval 
services of the United States.
    An applicant who is a veteran, as that term is defined in 
38 U.S.C. 101(2), who was discharged honorably or generally 
under honorable conditions no later than 6 months before 
applying may request examination to occur before the next 
scheduled examination date and, if requested, may be examined 
as soon as possible prior to the next examination date 
following receipt of the application. Once the applicant 
passes the examination and all other requirements to be on an 
eligibility list, the applicant shall be immediately placed on 
the eligibility list. Nothing in this paragraph waives 
eligibility for the applicant to receive military preference 
points during the application process or employment. 
    The sheriff shall make appointments from those persons 
certified by the Commission as qualified for appointment. If 
the sheriff rejects any person so certified, the sheriff shall 
notify the Commission in writing of such rejection.
    The rules and regulations of a Commission shall provide 
that all initial appointees shall serve a probationary period 
of 12 months during which time they may be discharged at the 
will of the sheriff.
(Source: P.A. 92-83, eff. 7-12-01.)

Effective Date:  1/1/2025