Criminal Justice (Law Enforcement)

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that it is unlawful for a child sex offender to knowingly reside within 250 (rather than 500) feet of a school building or the real property comprising any school that persons under the age of 18 attend, a playground, child care institution, day care center, part day child care facility, (deletes day care home and group day care home), or a facility providing programs or services exclusively directed toward persons under 18 years of age. Provides that nothing in these provisions prohibits a person subject to these provisions from residing within 250 feet of a school building or the real property comprising any school that persons under 18 attend, a playground, child care institution, day care center, part day care child care facility, or a facility providing programs or services exclusively directed toward persons under 18 years of age if the property was established as his or her current address of registration prior to the date that entity was opened, or if the entity must obtain a license in order to provide programs or services, the date that the license was issued. Provides that once a current property is established as the site of registration, nothing in these provisions prohibits a person subject to these provisions from continuing to reside at the property if the person's floor or unit number changes. Amends the Sex Offender Registration Act and the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act. Deletes provisions that a person required to register under the respective Act who lacks a fixed residence must report weekly, in person, to the appropriate law enforcement agency where the sex offender is located. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to establish the School Resource Officer Grant Program to fund salaries and any other costs associated with the hiring of an active or a retired law enforcement officer as a school resource officer. In a provision concerning school resource officers, provides that a school or school district that hires an active or a retired law enforcement officer as a school resource officer shall be reimbursed for salary and additional costs through the School Resource Officer Grant Program.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 concerning a defendant's commitment for mental health treatment. Provides that if the Department of Human Services does not provide placement within the 20 days of transmittal from the circuit court clerk, the Department shall provide payment to the sheriff, as prescribed by the sheriff, including, but not limited to, housing and mental health services for each day after 20 days have passed from the time the defendant was first placed in the sheriff's custody. Provides that the sheriff shall not be held liable for any issues encountered after the 20th day the defendant remains in his or her care. Deletes provision that Department shall admit the defendant to a secure facility within 60 days of the transmittal of the court's placement order, unless the Department can demonstrate good faith efforts at placement and a lack of bed and placement availability. Deletes if placement cannot be made within 60 days of the transmittal of the court's placement order and the Department has demonstrated good faith efforts at placement and a lack of bed and placement availability, the Department shall provide an update to the ordering court every 30 days until the defendant is placed.

Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that the pretrial services agency supervising and monitoring a defendant on pretrial release shall immediately notify the law enforcement agency of the defendant's primary residence and contact information and the office of the State's Attorney that charged the defendant if the person on pretrial release violates a no contact order.

Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall require that each school district annually report the number of students who were referred to a law enforcement agency or official and the number of instances of referrals to law enforcement that students received. Provides that on or before January 31, 2027 and on or before January 31 of each subsequent year, the State Board of Education shall prepare a report on student referrals to law enforcement in all school districts in the State. Requires a parent-teacher advisory committee to develop policy guideline procedures to establish and maintain a reciprocal reporting system between the school district and local law enforcement agencies regarding both criminal and civil offenses (rather than only criminal offenses) committed by students. Removes language providing that a student may not be issued a monetary fine or fee as a disciplinary consequence. Instead, prohibits school personnel from issuing a monetary fine, fee, ticket, or citation for a municipal code violation. Provides that school personnel (rather than a school district) may not refer a truant, chronic truant, or truant minor to any other local public entity, school resource officer, or peace officer (rather than only to any other local public entity) for that local public entity, school resource officer, or peace officer to issue the child a fine or fee as punishment for truancy. Effective immediately.

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. Provides that no law enforcement agency shall make an offer of employment for the position of probationary police officer, probationary part-time police officer, full-time law enforcement officer, or part-time law enforcement officer without requiring the execution of a signed release from the applicant, directing any and all entities that previously employed the individual to produce or make available for inspection all employment records, including background investigation materials collected in connection with making an offer of employment, duty-related physical and psychological fitness-for-duty examinations, work performance records, criminal, civil, or administrative investigations of conduct, arrests, convictions, findings of guilt, pleas of guilty, or pleas of nolo contendere. Provides that, with specified exceptions, all records shall be produced without any redaction and no nondisclosure, separation, or settlement agreement shall prevent the production of these records. Provides that the provisions do not apply to the extent that they would impair an existing collective bargaining agreement. Sets forth provisions concerning: (i) the procedures for requesting employment records; (ii) the deadlines for providing the records; (iii) the penalties for failing to produce the records in accordance with the provisions; and (iv) an example of an acceptable release form. Requires the receipt of a written release for an entity to have immunity for the release of information. Makes other changes to immunity-related provisions. Amends the Sheriff's Merit System Law of the Counties Code. Provides that the county board of any county having a population of at least 75,000 must adopt and implement, by ordinance, the merit system provided by the Sheriff's Merit System Law. Provides that the county board of any county having a population of less than 75,000 (rather than 1,000,000) which does not have a merit board or merit commission for sheriff's personnel may adopt and implement, by ordinance, the merit system provided by the Sheriff's Merit System Law. Makes other and conforming changes.

Makes appropriations for the ordinary and contingent expenses of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, as follows: Other State Funds $121,109,300; Federal Funds $8,000,000; Total $129,109,300.

Amends the Law Enforcement Camera Grant Act. In provisions relating to the annual report that is required for each law enforcement agency receiving a grant for officer-work body cameras, removes requirements that the report must include specified information relating to each recording used in prosecutions of conservation, criminal, or traffic offenses or municipal ordinance violations and specified information related to recordings used in a civil proceeding or internal affairs investigation.

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that any vessel or watercraft, vehicle, or aircraft is subject to forfeiture if the vessel or watercraft, vehicle, or aircraft is used with the knowledge and consent of the owner in the commission of or in the attempt to commit the offense of fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer.