HB 1267 updates Illinois' Personnel Record Review Act to explicitly include county, municipal, and State law enforcement agencies under the definition of "employer." This change ensures police departments and their personnel records are covered by the existing law governing employee record reviews. The bill does not create new policies but clarifies that current procedures for reviewing personnel records apply to law enforcement agencies, directly affecting police departments and their employees. The change is procedural, aligning law enforcement with other covered employers under the Act.
Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall conduct or approve a training program in death and homicide investigation for the training of Department of Corrections internal security investigators. Provides that only law enforcement officers and Department of Corrections internal security investigators (rather than just law enforcement officers) who successfully complete the training program may be assigned as lead investigators in death and homicide investigations. Provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall develop a process for waiver applications sent by the Department of Corrections for those investigators whose prior training and experience as homicide investigators may qualify them for a waiver.
Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall conduct or approve training programs in crimes motivated by bias. Includes requirements for the training programs. Requires the training for new law enforcement officers and allows continuing education credits for current law enforcement officers who complete the training.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person, in addition to other elements of the offense, obstructs justice when, with intent to prevent the apprehension or obstruct the prosecution or defense of any person, he or she knowingly takes a body camera or any part of a body camera from a person known to be a peace officer. Provides that a violation, if the body camera or any part of the body camera is taken from the peace officer during the commission of an offense that has caused great bodily harm to the officer or another person, is a Class 1 felony. Provides that any other violation of this provision is a Class 2 felony.
Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. In provisions requiring a law enforcement agency to report misconduct committed by the agency's police officers, provides that the chief administrator of the law enforcement agency may be brought before the Certification Review Panel if the law enforcement agency fails to comply with the provisions. Provides that, upon a recommendation of the Panel, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board may suspend the chief administrator's law enforcement certification for a period of no less than 30 days. Allows the Board to bring a discretionary decertification action against the chief administrator for a second or subsequent violation of the provisions. Effective immediately.
Amends the Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act. Provides that an auxiliary officer is a law enforcement officer for purposes of the Act. Amends the Law Enforcement Camera Grant Act. Specifies that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board must make grants to units of local government in Illinois and Illinois public universities for, among other things, purchasing or leasing officer-worn body cameras and associated technology for auxiliary officers and training auxiliary officers. Defines "auxiliary officer" for purposes of both Acts.
Creates the Law Enforcement Hiring Act. Creates the Law Enforcement Hiring Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall (1) identify various measures to ensure that unfit candidates are not hired as law enforcement officers; (2) explore strategies to prevent unnecessary deaths caused by law enforcement officers; and (3) make a report to the General Assembly no later than June 30, 2026 with recommendations for preventing people with dangerous backgrounds from being hired as law enforcement officers in the State. Sets forth membership of the Task Force. Provides that a law enforcement agency may hire a law enforcement officer without reviewing background disciplinary actions, terminations, and administrative review from previous employers. Provides that a law enforcement agency may not hire a law enforcement officer if the law enforcement officer spent less than 30 days reviewing the law enforcement officer.
Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Defines a "basic training candidate" to mean a person enrolled in basic training school who is not a full-time or part-time law enforcement officer. Requires the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to select and certify schools within the State of Illinois for the purpose of providing basic training for basic training candidates and to create curriculum and minimum basic training requirements for basic training candidates.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person who is justified in the use of force, including deadly force, does not have a duty to retreat. Provides that a person who is justified in the use of force, including the use of force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm, is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of force justified under these provisions (rather than have an affirmative defense to a criminal prosecution). Defines "criminal prosecution" to include charging or prosecuting the defendant.
Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 and the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that unreliable statements to law enforcement made during a custodial interrogation conducted at a police station or other place of detention by a defendant are inadmissible at trial in any criminal court proceeding or juvenile court proceeding for the prosecution of a homicide. Provides that in any proceeding under this provision, the prosecution shall timely disclose prior to any relevant evidentiary hearing or trial its intent to introduce a statement made during a custodial interrogation conducted at a place of detention. Provides that at that time, the prosecution must tender any electronic recordings of the statement and any documents relating to the circumstances under which the statement was obtained and any other evidence the State intends to rely upon to determine the statement's reliability. Provides that before trial, a defendant may move to exclude a statement alleged to be unreliable. Provides that the defendant shall specifically identify the statement or statements alleged to be unreliable. Provides that at the hearing, it shall be the burden of the prosecutor to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the statement is reliable. Provides that when deciding a statement's reliability, a court should consider: (1) whether the details in the statement fit with the evidence known before the interrogation, especially details that describe unusual or not easily guessed facts of the crime that had not been made public; (2) whether the statement provides any new details or any new evidence not known before the interrogation that can be independently corroborated after the interrogation; (3) whether facts of the crime were disclosed to the defendant rather than originated with the defendant; (4) whether the defendant recanted the defendant's statement at any time and the circumstances of that recantation; (5) whether the statement was electronically recorded; and (6) any other information relevant to the reliability of the statement.
