(30 ILCS 105/6z-135)

Sec. 6z-135. The Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention Fund.

(a) The Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention Fund is hereby created as a special fund in the State Treasury.

(b) Subject to appropriation, moneys in the Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention Fund shall be used by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to award grants to units of local government, public institutions of higher education, and qualified nonprofit entities for the purpose of hiring and retaining law enforcement officers.

(c) When awarding grants, the Board shall prioritize:

(1) grants that will be used to hire, retain, or hire and retain law enforcement officers in underserved areas and areas experiencing the most need;

(2) achieving demographic and geographic diversity of law enforcement officers that are recruited or hired by applicants that are awarded grants;

(3) maximizing the effects of moneys spent on the actual recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers; and

(4) providing grants that can impact multiple employers.

(d) Moneys received for the purposes of this Section, including, but not limited to, fee receipts, gifts, grants, and awards from any public or private entity, must be deposited into the Fund. Any interest earned on moneys in the Fund must be deposited into the Fund.

(e) The Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board may, by rule, set requirements for the distribution of grant moneys and determine which entities are eligible.

(f) The Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall consider compliance with the Uniform Crime Reporting Act as a factor in awarding grant moneys.

(g) As used in this Section, "qualified nonprofit entity" means a nonprofit entity, as defined by the Board by rule, that has established experience in recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers in Illinois.

(Source: P.A. 102-755, eff. 5-10-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)