104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 SB1700 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Bill Cunningham SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 55 ILCS 5/3-7008 from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008 Amends the Cook County Sheriff's Merit Board Division of the Counties Code. Provides that all deputy sheriffs shall be not less than 19 years of age at the time of their appointment (rather than 21 years of age or 20 years of age and have successfully completed 2 years of law enforcement studies at an accredited college or university). Increases the probationary period for deputy sheriff appointees to 15 months (rather than 12 months). LRB104 02895 AWJ 12905 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 SB1700 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Bill Cunningham SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 55 ILCS 5/3-7008 from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008 55 ILCS 5/3-7008 from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008 Amends the Cook County Sheriff's Merit Board Division of the Counties Code. Provides that all deputy sheriffs shall be not less than 19 years of age at the time of their appointment (rather than 21 years of age or 20 years of age and have successfully completed 2 years of law enforcement studies at an accredited college or university). Increases the probationary period for deputy sheriff appointees to 15 months (rather than 12 months). LRB104 02895 AWJ 12905 b LRB104 02895 AWJ 12905 b A BILL FOR
104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 SB1700 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Bill Cunningham SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
55 ILCS 5/3-7008 from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008 55 ILCS 5/3-7008 from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008
55 ILCS 5/3-7008 from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008
Amends the Cook County Sheriff's Merit Board Division of the Counties Code. Provides that all deputy sheriffs shall be not less than 19 years of age at the time of their appointment (rather than 21 years of age or 20 years of age and have successfully completed 2 years of law enforcement studies at an accredited college or university). Increases the probationary period for deputy sheriff appointees to 15 months (rather than 12 months).
LRB104 02895 AWJ 12905 b LRB104 02895 AWJ 12905 b
LRB104 02895 AWJ 12905 b
A BILL FOR
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SB1700 LRB104 02895 AWJ 12905 b
1 AN ACT concerning local government.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 10. The Counties Code is amended by changing
5 Section 3-7008 as follows:
6 (55 ILCS 5/3-7008) (from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008)
7 (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 103-623)
8 Sec. 3-7008. Appointments. The appointment of deputy
9 sheriffs in the Police Department, full-time deputy sheriffs
10 not employed as county police officers or county corrections
11 officers and of employees in the Department of Corrections
12 shall be made from those applicants who have been certified by
13 the Board as being qualified for appointment. Certification
14 for appointment in one department shall not constitute
15 certification for appointment in another department.
16 Certification may be made at any point prior to appointment
17 and may be made in conjunction with the Sheriff's application
18 process. All persons so appointed shall, at the time of their
19 appointment, be not less than 21 years of age, or 20 years of
20 age and have successfully completed 2 years of law enforcement
21 studies at an accredited college or university. Any person
22 appointed subsequent to successful completion of 2 years of
23 such law enforcement studies shall not have power of arrest,
104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 SB1700 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Bill Cunningham SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
55 ILCS 5/3-7008 from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008 55 ILCS 5/3-7008 from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008
55 ILCS 5/3-7008 from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008
Amends the Cook County Sheriff's Merit Board Division of the Counties Code. Provides that all deputy sheriffs shall be not less than 19 years of age at the time of their appointment (rather than 21 years of age or 20 years of age and have successfully completed 2 years of law enforcement studies at an accredited college or university). Increases the probationary period for deputy sheriff appointees to 15 months (rather than 12 months).
LRB104 02895 AWJ 12905 b LRB104 02895 AWJ 12905 b
LRB104 02895 AWJ 12905 b
A BILL FOR
55 ILCS 5/3-7008 from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008
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1 nor shall he or she be permitted to carry firearms, until he or
2 she reaches 21 years of age. Any person appointed shall be a
3 citizen of the United States, an individual who is legally
4 authorized to work in the United States under federal law and
5 is authorized under federal law to obtain, carry, or purchase
6 or otherwise possess a firearm, or an individual against whom
7 immigration action has been deferred by the U.S. Citizenship
8 and Immigration Services under the federal Deferred Action for
9 Childhood Arrivals (DACA) process and who is authorized under
10 federal law to obtain, carry, or purchase or otherwise possess
11 a firearm. In addition, all persons so appointed shall be not
12 more than the maximum age limit fixed by the Board from time to
13 time, be of sound mind and body, be of good moral character,
14 have not been convicted of a crime which the Board considers to
15 be detrimental to the applicant's ability to carry out his or
16 her duties, possess such prerequisites of training, education
17 and experience as the Board may from time to time prescribe,
18 and shall be required to pass successfully mental, physical,
19 psychiatric and other tests and examinations as may be
20 prescribed by the Board. Preference shall be given in such
21 appointments to persons who have honorably served in the
22 military or naval services of the United States. All
23 appointees shall serve a probationary period of 12 months and
24 during that period may be discharged at the will of the
25 Sheriff. However, civil service employees of the house of
26 correction who have certified status at the time of the
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1 transfer of the house of correction to the County Department
2 of Corrections are not subject to this probationary period,
3 and they shall retain their job titles, such tenure privileges
4 as are now enjoyed and any subsequent title changes shall not
5 cause reduction in rank or elimination of positions.
6 (Source: P.A. 103-357, eff. 1-1-24.)
7 (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 103-623)
8 Sec. 3-7008. Appointments. The appointment of deputy
9 sheriffs in the Police Department, full-time deputy sheriffs
10 not employed as county police officers or county corrections
11 officers and of employees in the Department of Corrections
12 shall be made from those applicants who have been certified by
13 the Board as being qualified for appointment. Certification
14 for appointment in one department shall not constitute
15 certification for appointment in another department.
16 Certification may be made at any point prior to appointment
17 and may be made in conjunction with the Sheriff's application
18 process. All persons so appointed shall, at the time of their
19 appointment, be not less than 19 21 years of age, or 20 years
20 of age and have successfully completed 2 years of law
21 enforcement studies at an accredited college or university.
22 Any person appointed subsequent to successful completion of 2
23 years of such law enforcement studies shall not have power of
24 arrest, nor shall he or she be permitted to carry firearms,
25 until he or she reaches 21 years of age. Any person appointed
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1 shall be a citizen of the United States, an individual who is
2 legally authorized to work in the United States under federal
3 law and is authorized under federal law to obtain, carry, or
4 purchase or otherwise possess a firearm, or an individual
5 against whom immigration action has been deferred by the U.S.
6 Citizenship and Immigration Services under the federal
7 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) process and who
8 is authorized under federal law to obtain, carry, or purchase
9 or otherwise possess a firearm. In addition, all persons so
10 appointed shall be not more than the maximum age limit fixed by
11 the Board from time to time, be of sound mind and body, be of
12 good moral character, have not been convicted of a crime which
13 the Board considers to be detrimental to the applicant's
14 ability to carry out his or her duties, possess such
15 prerequisites of training, education and experience as the
16 Board may from time to time prescribe, and shall be required to
17 pass successfully mental, physical, psychiatric and other
18 tests and examinations as may be prescribed by the Board.
19 Preference shall be given in such appointments to persons who
20 have honorably served in the military or naval services of the
21 United States. All appointees shall serve a probationary
22 period of 15 12 months and during that period may be discharged
23 at the will of the Sheriff. However, civil service employees
24 of the house of correction who have certified status at the
25 time of the transfer of the house of correction to the County
26 Department of Corrections are not subject to this probationary
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1 period, and they shall retain their job titles, such tenure
2 privileges as are now enjoyed and any subsequent title changes
3 shall not cause reduction in rank or elimination of positions.
4 An applicant who is a veteran, as that term is defined in
5 38 U.S.C. 101(2), who was discharged honorably or generally
6 under honorable conditions no later than 6 months before
7 applying may request examination to occur before the next
8 scheduled examination date and, if requested, may be examined
9 as soon as possible prior to the next examination date
10 following receipt of the application. Once the applicant
11 passes the examination and all other requirements to be on an
12 eligibility list, the applicant shall be immediately placed on
13 the eligibility list. Nothing in this paragraph waives
14 eligibility for the applicant to receive military preference
15 points during the application process or employment.
16 (Source: P.A. 103-357, eff. 1-1-24; 103-623, eff. 1-1-25.)
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