HB6748 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB093 18327 BDD 44033 b

93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
HB6748

Introduced 02/09/04, by Jim Sacia

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 2610/9	from Ch. 121, par. 307.9
50 ILCS 705/7	from Ch. 85, par. 507

Amends the State Police Act. Provides that each person certified by the Department for appointment as a Department of State Police officer and each person serving as a Department of State Police officer must receive training designed to educate the officer in how to immediately respond to and investigate cases of domestic violence and of sexual assault of adults and children, how to recognize the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, and how to approach and assist persons experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, including both victims and batterers. Provides that the Department of State Police, in consultation with the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board, shall develop this training program. Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the training of police officers shall include how to recognize the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence and how to approach and assist persons experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, including both victims and batterers.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT in relation to police training.

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

Section 5. The State Police Act is amended by changing Section 9 as follows:

(20 ILCS 2610/9) (from Ch. 121, par. 307.9)

Sec. 9. Appointment; qualifications.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Section, the appointment of Department of State Police officers shall be made from those applicants who have been certified by the Board as being qualified for appointment. 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 be permitted to carry firearms, until he reaches 21 years of age. In addition, all persons so certified for appointment shall be of sound mind and body, be of good moral character, be citizens of the United States, have no criminal records, possess such prerequisites of training, education and experience as the Board may from time to time prescribe, and shall be required to pass successfully such mental and physical 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 from the date of appointment and during that period may be discharged at the will of the Director. However, the Director may in his or her sole discretion extend the probationary period of an officer up to an additional 6 months when to do so is deemed in the best interest of the Department.

(a-5) Each person certified by the Department for appointment as a Department of State Police officer and each person serving as a Department of State Police officer must receive training designed to educate the officer in how to immediately respond to and investigate cases of domestic violence and of sexual assault of adults and children and how to recognize the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence and how to approach and assist persons experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, including both victims and batterers. The Department of State Police, in consultation with the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board, shall develop the training program described in this subsection (a-5).

(b) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Act, after July 1, 1977 and before July 1, 1980, the Director of State Police may appoint and promote not more than 20 persons having special qualifications as special agents as he deems necessary to carry out the Department's objectives. Any such appointment or promotion shall be ratified by the Board.

(c) During the 90 days following the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1995, the Director of State Police may appoint up to 25 persons as State Police officers. These appointments shall be made in accordance with the requirements of this subsection (c) and any additional criteria that may be established by the Director, but are not subject to any other requirements of this Act. The Director may specify the initial rank for each person appointed under this subsection.

All appointments under this subsection (c) shall be made from personnel certified by the Board. A person certified by the Board and appointed by the Director under this subsection must have been employed by the Illinois Commerce Commission on November 30, 1994 in a job title subject to the Personnel Code and in a position for which the person was eligible to earn "eligible creditable service" as a "noncovered employee", as those terms are defined in Article 14 of the Illinois Pension Code.

Persons appointed under this subsection (c) shall thereafter be subject to the same requirements and procedures as other State police officers. A person appointed under this subsection must serve a probationary period of 12 months from the date of appointment, during which he or she may be discharged at the will of the Director.

This subsection (c) does not affect or limit the Director's authority to appoint other State Police officers under subsection (a) of this Section.

(Source: P.A. 92-313, eff. 1-1-02.)

Section 10. The Illinois Police Training Act is amended by changing Section 7 as follows:

(50 ILCS 705/7) (from Ch. 85, par. 507)

Sec. 7. Rules and standards for schools. The Board shall adopt rules and minimum standards for such schools which shall include but not be limited to the following:

a. The curriculum for probationary police officers which shall be offered by all certified schools shall include but not be limited to courses of arrest, search and seizure, civil rights, human relations, cultural diversity, including racial and ethnic sensitivity, criminal law, law of criminal procedure, vehicle and traffic law including uniform and non-discriminatory enforcement of the Illinois Vehicle Code, traffic control and accident investigation, techniques of obtaining physical evidence, court testimonies, statements, reports, firearms training, first-aid (including cardiopulmonary resuscitation), handling of juvenile offenders, recognition of mental conditions which require immediate assistance and methods to safeguard and provide assistance to a person in need of mental treatment, law of evidence, the hazards of high-speed police vehicle chases with an emphasis on alternatives to the high-speed chase, and physical training. The curriculum shall include specific training in techniques for immediate response to and investigation of cases of domestic violence and of sexual assault of adults and children and how to recognize the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence and how to approach and assist persons experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, including both victims and batterers. The curriculum for permanent police officers shall include but not be limited to (1) refresher and in-service training in any of the courses listed above in this subparagraph, (2) advanced courses in any of the subjects listed above in this subparagraph, (3) training for supervisory personnel, and (4) specialized training in subjects and fields to be selected by the board.

b. Minimum courses of study, attendance requirements and equipment requirements.

c. Minimum requirements for instructors.

d. Minimum basic training requirements, which a probationary police officer must satisfactorily complete before being eligible for permanent employment as a local law enforcement officer for a participating local governmental agency. Those requirements shall include training in first aid (including cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

e. Minimum basic training requirements, which a probationary county corrections officer must satisfactorily complete before being eligible for permanent employment as a county corrections officer for a participating local governmental agency.

f. Minimum basic training requirements which a probationary court security officer must satisfactorily complete before being eligible for permanent employment as a court security officer for a participating local governmental agency. The Board shall establish those training requirements which it considers appropriate for court security officers and shall certify schools to conduct that training.

A person hired to serve as a court security officer must obtain from the Board a certificate (i) attesting to his or her successful completion of the training course; (ii) attesting to his or her satisfactory completion of a training program of similar content and number of hours that has been found acceptable by the Board under the provisions of this Act; or (iii) attesting to the Board's determination that the training course is unnecessary because of the person's extensive prior law enforcement experience.

Individuals who currently serve as court security officers shall be deemed qualified to continue to serve in that capacity so long as they are certified as provided by this Act within 24 months of the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1996. Failure to be so certified, absent a waiver from the Board, shall cause the officer to forfeit his or her position.

All individuals hired as court security officers on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1996 shall be certified within 12 months of the date of their hire, unless a waiver has been obtained by the Board, or they shall forfeit their positions.

The Sheriff's Merit Commission, if one exists, or the Sheriff's Office if there is no Sheriff's Merit Commission, shall maintain a list of all individuals who have filed applications to become court security officers and who meet the eligibility requirements established under this Act. Either the Sheriff's Merit Commission, or the Sheriff's Office if no Sheriff's Merit Commission exists, shall establish a schedule of reasonable intervals for verification of the applicants' qualifications under this Act and as established by the Board.

(Source: P.A. 93-209, eff. 7-18-03.)