State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Public Acts

[ Home ]  [ ILCS ] [ Search ] [ Bottom ]
 [ Other General Assemblies ]

Public Act 91-0615

SB171 Enrolled                                 LRB9101640EGfg

    AN ACT in relation to public safety.

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

    Section  5.   The  Illinois  Municipal Code is amended by
changing Section 10-2.1-4 as follows:

    (65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-4) (from Ch. 24, par. 10-2.1-4)
    Sec. 10-2.1-4.  Fire and police departments - Appointment
of members - Certificates of appointments.
    The board of fire and police commissioners shall  appoint
all  officers  and members of the fire and police departments
of the municipality, including the chief of  police  and  the
chief  of the fire department, unless the council or board of
trustees shall by ordinance as  to  them  otherwise  provide;
except as otherwise provided in this Section, and except that
in any municipality which adopts or has adopted this Division
2.1  and  also  adopts or has adopted Article 5 of this Code,
the chief of police and the  chief  of  the  fire  department
shall  be  appointed  by  the  municipal  manager,  if  it is
provided by ordinance in such municipality that such  chiefs,
or  either  of  them,  shall not be appointed by the board of
fire and police commissioners.
    If the chief of the fire department or the chief  of  the
police department or both of them are appointed in the manner
provided  by  ordinance, they may be removed or discharged by
the  appointing  authority.   In  such  case  the  appointing
authority shall  file  with  the  corporate  authorities  the
reasons  for  such  removal  or  discharge,  which removal or
discharge shall not become effective unless  confirmed  by  a
majority vote of the corporate authorities.
    If  a  member  of  the  department  is appointed Chief of
Police or  Chief  of  the  Fire  Department  prior  to  being
eligible  to  retire  on pension he shall be considered as on
furlough from the rank  he  held  immediately  prior  to  his
appointment as chief. If he resigns as Chief or is discharged
as Chief prior to attaining eligibility to retire on pension,
he shall revert to and be established in such prior rank, and
thereafter  be entitled to all the benefits and emoluments of
such prior rank, without regard as to whether a vacancy  then
exists in such rank.
    All  appointments  to  each department other than that of
the lowest rank, however, shall be from the rank  next  below
that  to  which  the  appointment is made except as otherwise
provided in this Section, and except that the chief of police
and the chief of the fire department may  be  appointed  from
among   members   of   the   police   and  fire  departments,
respectively, regardless of rank, unless the council or board
of trustees shall have by  ordinance  as  to  them  otherwise
provided.
    The  sole  authority to issue certificates of appointment
shall be vested in the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners
and all certificates of appointments issued to any officer or
member of the fire or police  department  of  a  municipality
shall be signed by the chairman and secretary respectively of
the   board   of   fire  and  police  commissioners  of  such
municipality, upon appointment of such officer or  member  of
the fire and police department of such municipality by action
of the board of fire and police commissioners.
    The  term  "policemen"  as used in this Division does not
include auxiliary policemen except as provided for in Section
10-2.1-6.
    Any  full  time  member  of  a  regular  fire  or  police
department  of  any  municipality  which  comes   under   the
provisions  of  this  Division or adopts this Division 2.1 or
which has adopted any of the prior Acts  pertaining  to  fire
and police commissioners, is a city officer.
    Notwithstanding  any other provision of this Section, the
Chief  of  Police  of  a   department   in   a   non-homerule
municipality  of  more  than 130,000 inhabitants may, without
the advice or  consent  of  the  Board  of  Fire  and  Police
Commissioners, appoint up to 6 officers who shall be known as
deputy  chiefs  or  assistant  deputy  chiefs, and whose rank
shall be immediately below that  of  Chief.   The  deputy  or
assistant  deputy  chiefs  may  be appointed from any rank of
sworn officers of that municipality, but no person who is not
such a sworn officer may be so appointed.  Such deputy  chief
or  assistant deputy chief shall have the authority to direct
and issue orders to all employees of the  Department  holding
the rank of captain or any lower rank.
    Notwithstanding  any  other  provision of this Section, a
non-homerule municipality of 130,000  or  fewer  inhabitants,
through  its council or board of trustees, may, by ordinance,
provide for a position of deputy chief to be appointed by the
chief of the police department.  The ordinance shall  provide
for  no  more  than  one  deputy chief position if the police
department has fewer than 25 full-time  police  officers  and
for  no  more  than  2  deputy  chief positions if the police
department has 25 or more  full-time  police  officers.   The
deputy  chief  position  shall  be an exempt rank immediately
below that of Chief.  The deputy chief may be appointed  from
any  rank  of sworn, full-time officers of the municipality's
police  department,  but  must  have  at  least  5  years  of
full-time service as a police officer in that department.   A
deputy  chief shall serve at the discretion of the Chief and,
if removed from the position, shall revert to the  rank  held
immediately   prior   to  appointment  to  the  deputy  chief
position.
    No municipality having a population less  than  1,000,000
shall  require  that any fireman appointed to the lowest rank
serve a probationary employment period  of  longer  than  one
year.   The  limitation on periods of probationary employment
provided in this amendatory Act of 1989 is an exclusive power
and function of the State.  Pursuant  to  subsection  (h)  of
Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution, a home
rule  municipality  having  a  population less than 1,000,000
must comply with this limitation on periods  of  probationary
employment,  which  is  a  denial and limitation of home rule
powers.  Notwithstanding anything to  the  contrary  in  this
Section,  the probationary employment period limitation shall
not apply to a fireman whose position also includes paramedic
responsibilities.
(Source: P.A. 86-990.)

    Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  upon
becoming law.

[ Top ]