65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-6

(65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-6) (from Ch. 24, par. 10-2.1-6)

Sec. 10-2.1-6. Examination of applicants; disqualifications.

(a) All applicants for a position in either the fire or police department of the municipality shall be under 35 years of age, shall be subject to an examination that shall be public, competitive, and open to all applicants (unless the council or board of trustees by ordinance limit applicants to electors of the municipality, county, state, or nation) and shall be subject to reasonable limitations as to residence, health, habits, and moral character. An individual who is not a citizen but is legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law or is 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 is authorized to apply for the position of police officer, subject to (i) all requirements and limitations, other than citizenship, to which other applicants are subject and (ii) the individual being authorized under federal law to obtain, carry, or purchase or otherwise possess a firearm. The municipality may not charge or collect any fee from an applicant who has met all prequalification standards established by the municipality for any such position. With respect to a police department, a veteran shall be allowed to exceed the maximum age provision of this Section by the number of years served on active military duty, but by no more than 10 years of active military duty.

(b) Residency requirements in effect at the time an individual enters the fire or police service of a municipality (other than a municipality that has more than 1,000,000 inhabitants) cannot be made more restrictive for that individual during his period of service for that municipality, or be made a condition of promotion, except for the rank or position of Fire or Police Chief.

(c) No person with a record of misdemeanor convictions except those under Sections 11-1.50, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9, 11-14, 11-15, 11-17, 11-18, 11-19, 11-30, 11-35, 12-2, 12-6, 12-15, 14-4, 16-1, 21.1-3, 24-3.1, 24-5, 25-1, 28-3, 31-1, 31-4, 31-6, 31-7, 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, and 32-8, subdivisions (a)(1) and (a)(2)(C) of Section 11-14.3, and paragraphs (1), (6), and (8) of subsection (a) of Section 24-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, or arrested for any cause but not convicted on that cause shall be disqualified from taking the examination to qualify for a position in the fire department on grounds of habits or moral character.

(d) The age limitation in subsection (a) does not apply (i) to any person previously employed as a policeman or fireman in a regularly constituted police or fire department of (I) any municipality, regardless of whether the municipality is located in Illinois or in another state, or (II) a fire protection district whose obligations were assumed by a municipality under Section 21 of the Fire Protection District Act, (ii) to any person who has served a municipality as a regularly enrolled volunteer fireman for 5 years immediately preceding the time that municipality begins to use full time firemen to provide all or part of its fire protection service, or (iii) to any person who has served as an auxiliary police officer under Section 3.1-30-20 for at least 5 years and is under 40 years of age, (iv) to any person who has served as a deputy under Section 3-6008 of the Counties Code and otherwise meets necessary training requirements, or (v) to any person who has served as a sworn officer as a member of the Illinois State Police.

(e) Applicants who are 20 years of age and who have successfully completed 2 years of law enforcement studies at an accredited college or university may be considered for appointment to active duty with the police department. An applicant described in this subsection (e) who is appointed to active duty shall not have power of arrest, nor shall the applicant be permitted to carry firearms, until he or she reaches 21 years of age.

(f) Applicants who are 18 years of age and who have successfully completed 2 years of study in fire techniques, amounting to a total of 4 high school credits, within the cadet program of a municipality may be considered for appointment to active duty with the fire department of any municipality.

(g) The council or board of trustees may by ordinance provide that persons residing outside the municipality are eligible to take the examination.

(h) The examinations shall be practical in character and relate to those matters that will fairly test the capacity of the persons examined to discharge the duties of the positions to which they seek appointment. No person shall be appointed to the police or fire department if he or she does not possess a high school diploma or an equivalent high school education. A board of fire and police commissioners may, by its rules, require police applicants to have obtained an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree as a prerequisite for employment. The examinations shall include tests of physical qualifications and health. A board of fire and police commissioners may, by its rules, waive portions of the required examination for police applicants who have previously been full-time sworn officers of a regular police department in any municipal, county, university, or State law enforcement agency, provided they are certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board and have been with their respective law enforcement agency within the State for at least 2 years. No person shall be appointed to the police or fire department if he or she has suffered the amputation of any limb unless the applicant's duties will be only clerical or as a radio operator. No applicant shall be examined concerning his or her political or religious opinions or affiliations. The examinations shall be conducted by the board of fire and police commissioners of the municipality as provided in this Division 2.1.

The requirement that a police applicant possess an associate's degree under this subsection may be waived if one or more of the following applies: (1) the applicant has served for 24 months of honorable active duty in the United States Armed Forces and has not been discharged dishonorably or under circumstances other than honorable; (2) the applicant has served for 180 days of active duty in the United States Armed Forces in combat duty recognized by the Department of Defense and has not been discharged dishonorably or under circumstances other than honorable; or (3) the applicant has successfully received credit for a minimum of 60 credit hours toward a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

The requirement that a police applicant possess a bachelor's degree under this subsection may be waived if one or more of the following applies: (1) the applicant has served for 36 months of honorable active duty in the United States Armed Forces and has not been discharged dishonorably or under circumstances other than honorable or (2) the applicant has served for 180 days of active duty in the United States Armed Forces in combat duty recognized by the Department of Defense and has not been discharged dishonorably or under circumstances other than honorable.

(i) No person who is classified by his local selective service draft board as a conscientious objector, or who has ever been so classified, may be appointed to the police department.

(j) No person shall be appointed to the police or fire department unless he or she is a person of good character and not an habitual drunkard, gambler, or a person who has been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude. No person, however, shall be disqualified from appointment to the fire department because of his or her record of misdemeanor convictions except those under Sections 11-1.50, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9, 11-14, 11-15, 11-17, 11-18, 11-19, 11-30, 11-35, 12-2, 12-6, 12-15, 14-4, 16-1, 21.1-3, 24-3.1, 24-5, 25-1, 28-3, 31-1, 31-4, 31-6, 31-7, 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, and 32-8, subdivisions (a)(1) and (a)(2)(C) of Section 11-14.3, and paragraphs (1), (6), and (8) of subsection (a) of Section 24-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, or arrest for any cause without conviction on that cause. Any such person who is in the department may be removed on charges brought and after a trial as provided in this Division 2.1.

(Source: P.A. 102-538, eff. 8-20-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-357, eff. 1-1-24.)