97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB1460

 

Introduced , by Rep. William Cunningham

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
720 ILCS 5/32-5.2-6 new
735 ILCS 5/2-202  from Ch. 110, par. 2-202

    Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Creates the offense of false personation of a peace officer while serving process. Provides that a person commits the offense when he or she, not being a peace officer, knowingly wears a coat, hat, or other clothing while serving process that reasonably creates the impression that the person is a peace officer. Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. With respect to the requirement that a person who is a licensed or registered private detective or a registered employee of a private detective agency must supply the sheriff of any county in which the person serves process with a copy of the person's license or certificate, deletes language providing that the failure of a person to supply a copy of the license or certificate to the sheriff does not impair the validity of process served by the person. In a provision that allows a court to appoint a certified private detective agency as a special process server, deletes language allowing any employee of the private detective agency to serve the process under the appointment.


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CORRECTIONAL BUDGET AND IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB1460LRB097 08456 RLC 48583 b

1    AN ACT concerning process servers.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Criminal Code of 1961 is amended by adding
5Section 32-5.2-6 as follows:
 
6    (720 ILCS 5/32-5.2-6 new)
7    Sec. 32-5.2-6. False personation of a peace officer while
8serving process.
9    (a) A person commits false personation of a peace officer
10while serving process when he or she, not being a peace
11officer, knowingly wears a coat, hat, or other clothing while
12serving process that reasonably creates the impression that the
13person is a peace officer.
14    (b) Sentence. False personation of a peace officer while
15serving process is a Class A misdemeanor.
 
16    Section 10. The Code of Civil Procedure is amended by
17changing Section 2-202 as follows:
 
18    (735 ILCS 5/2-202)  (from Ch. 110, par. 2-202)
19    Sec. 2-202. Persons authorized to serve process; Place of
20service; Failure to make return.
21    (a) Process shall be served by a sheriff, or if the sheriff

 

 

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1is disqualified, by a coroner of some county of the State. A
2sheriff of a county with a population of less than 2,000,000
3may employ civilian personnel to serve process. In counties
4with a population of less than 2,000,000, process may be
5served, without special appointment, by a person who is
6licensed or registered as a private detective under the Private
7Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint
8Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004 or by a registered employee
9of a private detective agency certified under that Act. A
10private detective or licensed employee must supply the sheriff
11of any county in which he serves process with a copy of his
12license or certificate; however, the failure of a person to
13supply the copy shall not in any way impair the validity of
14process served by the person. The court may, in its discretion
15upon motion, order service to be made by a private person over
1618 years of age and not a party to the action. It is not
17necessary that service be made by a sheriff or coroner of the
18county in which service is made. If served or sought to be
19served by a sheriff or coroner, he or she shall endorse his or
20her return thereon, and if by a private person the return shall
21be by affidavit.
22    (a-5) Upon motion and in its discretion, the court may
23appoint as a special process server a private detective agency
24certified under the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private
25Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004. Under
26the appointment, any employee of the private detective agency

 

 

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1who is registered under that Act may serve the process. The
2motion and the order of appointment must contain the number of
3the certificate issued to the private detective agency by the
4Department of Professional Regulation under the Private
5Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint
6Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004.
7    (b) Summons may be served upon the defendants wherever they
8may be found in the State, by any person authorized to serve
9process. An officer may serve summons in his or her official
10capacity outside his or her county, but fees for mileage
11outside the county of the officer cannot be taxed as costs. The
12person serving the process in a foreign county may make return
13by mail.
14    (c) If any sheriff, coroner, or other person to whom any
15process is delivered, neglects or refuses to make return of the
16same, the plaintiff may petition the court to enter a rule
17requiring the sheriff, coroner, or other person, to make return
18of the process on a day to be fixed by the court, or to show
19cause on that day why that person should not be attached for
20contempt of the court. The plaintiff shall then cause a written
21notice of the rule to be served on the sheriff, coroner, or
22other person. If good and sufficient cause be not shown to
23excuse the officer or other person, the court shall adjudge him
24or her guilty of a contempt, and shall impose punishment as in
25other cases of contempt.
26    (d) If process is served by a sheriff or coroner, the court

 

 

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1may tax the fee of the sheriff or coroner as costs in the
2proceeding. If process is served by a private person or entity,
3the court may establish a fee therefor and tax such fee as
4costs in the proceedings.
5    (e) In addition to the powers stated in Section 8.1a of the
6Housing Authorities Act, in counties with a population of
73,000,000 or more inhabitants, members of a housing authority
8police force may serve process for forcible entry and detainer
9actions commenced by that housing authority and may execute
10orders of possession for that housing authority.
11    (f) In counties with a population of 3,000,000 or more,
12process may be served, with special appointment by the court,
13by a private process server or a law enforcement agency other
14than the county sheriff in proceedings instituted under the
15Forcible Entry and Detainer Article of this Code as a result of
16a lessor or lessor's assignee declaring a lease void pursuant
17to Section 11 of the Controlled Substance and Cannabis Nuisance
18Act.
19(Source: P.A. 95-613, eff. 9-11-07; 96-1451, eff. 8-20-10.)