State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
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90_SB0397

      65 ILCS 5/10-1-18.1       from Ch. 24, par. 10-1-18.1
          Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Requires  the  Police
      Board,  in  municipalities  with a population of 1,000,000 or
      more, to prepare a written record of all of its findings  and
      decisions  and  the  reasons  for its findings and decisions.
      Effective immediately.
                                                    LRB9001908DNcwA
                                              LRB9001908DNcwA
 1        AN ACT to amend the Illinois Municipal Code  by  changing
 2    Section 10-1-18.1.
 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section 5.  The Illinois Municipal  Code  is  amended  by
 6    changing Section 10-1-18.1 as follows:
 7        (65 ILCS 5/10-1-18.1) (from Ch. 24, par. 10-1-18.1)
 8        Sec.  10-1-18.1. In any municipality of more than 500,000
 9    population, no officer or employee of the  police  department
10    in  the  classified  civil  service of the municipality whose
11    appointment has become complete may be removed or discharged,
12    or suspended for more than 30  days  except  for  cause  upon
13    written  charges  and after an opportunity to be heard in his
14    own defense by the Police Board. Before any such  officer  or
15    employee  may  be  interrogated  or examined by or before any
16    disciplinary board, or departmental  agent  or  investigator,
17    the  results  of  which hearing, interrogation or examination
18    may be the basis for filing charges seeking  his  removal  or
19    discharge,  he must be advised in writing as to what specific
20    improper or illegal act he is alleged to have  committed;  he
21    must  be  advised  in writing that his admissions made in the
22    course of the hearing, interrogation or  examination  may  be
23    used  as  the  basis  for  charges  seeking  his  removal  or
24    discharge;  and he must be advised in writing that he has the
25    right to counsel of his own choosing present to advise him at
26    any hearing, interrogation or  examination;  and  a  complete
27    record  of any hearing, interrogation or examination shall be
28    made and a complete transcript thereof made available to such
29    officer or employee without charge and without delay.
30        Upon  the  filing  of  charges  for  which   removal   or
31    discharge,  or suspension of more than 30 days is recommended
                            -2-               LRB9001908DNcwA
 1    a hearing before the Police  Board  shall  be  held.  If  the
 2    charge is based upon an allegation of the use of unreasonable
 3    force  by a police officer, the charge must be brought within
 4    5 years after the commission of the act upon which the charge
 5    is based. The statute  of  limitations  established  in  this
 6    Section  10-1-18.1  shall  apply only to acts of unreasonable
 7    force occurring on  or  after  the  effective  date  of  this
 8    amendatory Act of 1992.
 9        The  Police  Board shall establish rules of procedure not
10    inconsistent with this Section respecting notice  of  charges
11    and  the  conduct of the hearings before the Police Board, or
12    before any member thereof appointed by the  Police  Board  to
13    hear the charges. The Police Board, or any member thereof, is
14    not  bound  by  formal  or  technical  rules of evidence, but
15    hearsay evidence is inadmissible.  The  person  against  whom
16    charges have been filed may appear before the Police Board or
17    any  member  thereof, as the case may be, with counsel of his
18    own choice and defend himself; shall have  the  right  to  be
19    confronted  by  his  accusers;  may cross-examine any witness
20    giving evidence against  him;  and  may  by  counsel  present
21    witnesses and evidence in his own behalf.
22        The  Police Board or any member thereof designated by it,
23    may administer oaths and secure  by  its  subpoena  both  the
24    attendance  and  testimony of witnesses and the production of
25    relevant books and papers. All proceedings before the  Police
26    Board or member thereof shall be recorded. No continuance may
27    be  granted  after  a hearing has begun unless all parties to
28    the hearing agree thereto. The findings and decision  of  the
29    Police  Board, when approved by the Board, shall be certified
30    to the superintendent and shall forthwith be enforced by  the
31    superintendent.
32        A majority of the members of the Police Board must concur
33    in the entry of any disciplinary recommendation or action. In
34    municipalities  with  a  population of 1,000,000 or more, the
                            -3-               LRB9001908DNcwA
 1    Police Board shall prepare a written record  of  all  of  its
 2    findings  and  decisions and the reasons for its findings and
 3    decisions.
 4        Nothing  in  this  Section  limits  the  power   of   the
 5    superintendent  to  suspend  a  subordinate  for a reasonable
 6    period, not exceeding 30 days.
 7        Commencing on January 1, 1993, each board or other entity
 8    responsible for determining whether or not to file  a  charge
 9    shall,  no  later  than  December  31 of each year, publish a
10    status  report  on  its  investigations  of  allegations   of
11    unreasonable  force.   At  a minimum, the status report shall
12    include the following information:
13             (1) the number of police officers  against  whom  an
14        allegation of unreasonable force was made;
15             (2)  the number of allegations of unreasonable force
16        made against each such police officer;
17             (3) the  number  of  police  officers  against  whom
18        disciplinary   charges   were   filed  on  the  basis  of
19        allegations of unreasonable force;
20             (4) a listing of investigations  of  allegations  of
21        unreasonable  force pending as of the date of the report,
22        together with the dates on which  such  allegations  were
23        made; and
24             (5)  a  listing of allegations of unreasonable force
25        for which the board has determined not to file charges.
26        These status reports shall not disclose the  identity  of
27        any  witness  or  victim,  nor  shall  they  disclose the
28        identity of any police officer who is the subject  of  an
29        allegation  of  unreasonable  force against whom a charge
30        has not been filed.   The  information  underlying  these
31        status  reports  shall  be  confidential  and exempt from
32        public inspection and copying, as provided under  Section
33        7 of the Freedom of Information Act.
34    (Source: P.A. 87-1239.)
                            -4-               LRB9001908DNcwA
 1        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
 2    becoming law.

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