65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-6
2021 Illinois Compiled Statutes|Chapter 65 - MUNICIPALITIES|65 ILCS 5/ - Illinois Municipal Code.|Article 10 - Employees And Employment

 (from Ch. 24, par. 10-2.1-6)Sec. 10-2.1-6. Examination of applicants; disqualifications.(a) All applicants for a position in either the fire or police department  of the municipality shall be under 35 years of age, shall be subject to an  examination that shall be public, competitive, and open to all applicants  (unless the council or board of trustees by ordinance limit applicants to  electors of the municipality, county, state or nation) and shall be subject to  reasonable limitations as to residence, health, habits, and moral character.  The municipality may not charge or collect any fee from an applicant who has  met all prequalification standards established by the municipality for any such  position. With respect to a police department, a veteran shall be allowed to exceed the maximum age provision of this Section by the number of years served on active military duty, but by no more than 10 years of active military duty.(b) Residency requirements in effect at the time an individual enters the  fire or police service of a municipality (other than a municipality that  has more than 1,000,000 inhabitants) cannot be made more restrictive for  that individual during his period of service for that municipality, or be  made a condition of promotion, except for the rank or position of Fire or  Police Chief.(c) No person with a record of misdemeanor convictions except those  under Sections 11-1.50, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9, 11-14, 11-15, 11-17, 11-18, 11-19,  11-30, 11-35, 12-2, 12-6, 12-15, 14-4, 16-1, 21.1-3, 24-3.1, 24-5, 25-1, 28-3, 31-1, 31-4,  31-6, 31-7, 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, and 32-8, subdivisions (a)(1) and (a)(2)(C) of Section 11-14.3, and subsections (1), (6) and (8) of  Section 24-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, or arrested for any cause but not  convicted on that cause shall be disqualified from taking the examination to  qualify for a position in the fire department on grounds of habits or moral  character.(d) The age limitation in subsection (a) does not apply (i) to any person  previously employed as a policeman or fireman in a regularly constituted police  or fire department of (I) any municipality, regardless of whether the municipality is located in Illinois or in another state, or (II) a fire protection district  whose obligations were assumed by a municipality under Section 21 of the Fire  Protection District Act, (ii) to any person who has served a municipality as a  regularly enrolled volunteer fireman for 5 years immediately preceding the time  that municipality begins to use full time firemen to provide all or part of its  fire protection service, or (iii) to any person who has served as an auxiliary police officer under Section 3.1-30-20 for at least 5 years and is under 40 years of  age, (iv) to any person who has served as a deputy under Section 3-6008 of  the Counties Code and otherwise meets necessary training requirements, or (v) to any person who has served as a sworn officer as a member of the Illinois State Police.(e) Applicants who are 20 years of age and who have successfully completed 2  years of law enforcement studies at an accredited college or university may be  considered for appointment to active duty with the police department.  An  applicant described in this subsection (e) who is appointed to active duty  shall not have power of arrest, nor shall the applicant be permitted to carry  firearms, until he or she reaches 21 years of age.(f) Applicants who are 18 years of age and who have successfully  completed 2 years of study in fire techniques, amounting to a total of 4  high school credits, within the cadet program of a municipality may be  considered for appointment to active duty with the fire department of any  municipality.(g) The council or board of trustees may by ordinance provide  that persons residing outside the municipality are eligible to take the  examination.(h) The examinations shall be practical in character and relate to  those matters that will fairly test the capacity of the persons examined  to discharge the duties of the positions to which they seek appointment. No  person shall be appointed to the police or fire department if he or she does  not possess a high school diploma or an equivalent high school education.  A board of fire and police commissioners may, by its rules, require police  applicants to have obtained an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree as a  prerequisite for employment.  The  examinations shall include tests of physical qualifications and health. A board of fire and police commissioners may, by its rules, waive portions of the required examination for  police applicants who have previously been full-time sworn officers of a regular police department in any  municipal, county, university, or State law enforcement agency, provided they are certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board and have been with their respective law enforcement agency within the State for at least 2 years. No  person shall be appointed to the police or fire department if he or she has  suffered the amputation of any limb unless the applicant's duties will be only  clerical or as a radio operator.  No applicant shall be examined concerning his  or her political or religious opinions or affiliations.  The examinations shall  be conducted by the board of fire and police commissioners of the municipality  as provided in this Division 2.1.The requirement that a police applicant possess an associate's degree under this subsection may be waived if one or more of the following applies: (1) the applicant has served for 24 months of honorable active duty in the United States Armed Forces and has not been discharged dishonorably or under circumstances other than honorable; (2)  the applicant has served for 180 days of active duty in the United States Armed Forces in combat duty recognized by the Department of Defense and has not been discharged dishonorably or under circumstances other than honorable; or (3) the applicant has successfully received credit for a minimum of 60 credit hours toward a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.The requirement that a police  applicant possess a bachelor's degree under this subsection may be waived if one or more of the following applies: (1) the applicant has served for 36 months of honorable active duty in the United States Armed Forces and has not been discharged dishonorably or under circumstances other than honorable or (2) the applicant has served for 180 days of active duty in the United States Armed Forces in combat duty recognized by the Department of Defense and has not been discharged dishonorably or under circumstances other than honorable.(i) No person who is classified by his local selective service draft board  as a conscientious objector, or who has ever been so classified, may be  appointed to the police department.(j) No person shall be appointed to the police or fire department unless he  or she is a person of good character and not an habitual drunkard, gambler, or  a person who has been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral  turpitude. No person, however, shall be disqualified from appointment to the  fire department because of his or her record of misdemeanor convictions except  those under Sections 11-1.50, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9, 11-14, 11-15, 11-17, 11-18, 11-19, 11-30, 11-35, 12-2,  12-6, 12-15, 14-4, 16-1, 21.1-3, 24-3.1, 24-5, 25-1, 28-3, 31-1, 31-4, 31-6,  31-7, 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, and 32-8, subdivisions (a)(1) and (a)(2)(C) of Section 11-14.3, and subsections (1), (6) and (8) of Section  24-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, or arrest for any cause without conviction on  that cause. Any such person who is in the department may be removed on charges  brought and after a trial as provided in this Division 2.1.  (Source: P.A. 102-538, eff. 8-20-21.)