Chapter 2.64
BOARD OF FIRE AND POLICE COMMISSIONERS
Sections:
2.64.010 Creation – Membership.
2.64.030 Lateral transfer for police officers.
2.64.040 Lateral appointments (police department).
2.64.050 Alternate procedure for hiring fully qualified firefighters/EMTs.
2.64.010 Creation – Membership.
There shall be a board of fire and police commissioners as provided by law, which shall consist of three members whose appointment shall be for terms as provided by Illinois Compiled Statutes in such case made and provided. Such members shall be appointed by the president, with the consent of the board of trustees. (Ord. 2020-28 § 3, 2020; Ord. 2011-28A § 2, 2011)
2.64.020 Duties.
The board of fire and police commissioners shall have charge of all appointments to the fire and police departments, excepting that of the fire and police chiefs, fire and police deputy chiefs, and police commanders, and shall conduct and hold all entrance and promotional examinations in the manner required by statute. (Ord. 2019-17 § 3, 2019)
2.64.030 Lateral transfer for police officers.
A. The board of fire and police commissioners may consider and recommend for appointment to the police department an individual who is certified by the state of Illinois as a police officer and has a minimum of two years’ experience out of the last five employed as a full-time police officer in another jurisdiction. The board of fire and police commissioners may also consider and recommend for appointment to the police department an individual who is certified by another state and whose training and experience would qualify him/her to become certified in the state upon written request to the Illinois local law enforcement training board. Officers who meet the above criteria shall have the physical agility examination and written examination waived. Said officers shall be subject to all other requirements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the board of fire and police commissioners of the village in effect at their application and thereafter as amended.
B. The board of fire and police commissioners shall at a minimum require that candidates for lateral entry to the police department successfully complete the following steps:
1. Obtain application from the office of the village clerk.
2. Return to the board of fire and police commissioners completed application with all necessary documents.
3. Oral interview with the board of fire and police commissioners.
4. Background investigations.
5. Polygraph examination.
6. Psychological evaluation.
7. Physical examination.
C. The board of fire and police commissioners will be required to advertise for lateral entry candidates periodically, as the need for officers arises.
D. The board of fire and police commissioners will prepare an eligibility registrar for officers who qualify for lateral entry in the police department that may be recommended by the commissioner for hire. This eligibility registrar for lateral entry police officers shall expire one year from the date of said eligibility registrar.
E. The president and board of trustees of the village may elect to fill vacancies in the police department by the use of lateral entry as the need warrants.
F. All lateral entry patrolmen hired will have a twelve-month probationary period from the date of hire with the village. (Ord. 2008-03 § 1, 2008)
2.64.040 Lateral appointments (police department).
A. Purpose. The board recognizes the need to expand the pool of eligible candidates for original appointment to include trained individuals who have successfully completed the police academy and have served as sworn police officers in other police departments. As an alternative method of original appointment, the village board of trustees may request that the board bring forward candidates from the list of lateral appointment candidates. The list of eligible candidates for lateral appointment shall be separate and apart from the list for police officer candidates referenced in Chapter III.
B. Applications. Applicants for lateral appointment must complete an application and submit it to the board as provided for in Chapter III of the board’s rules and regulations.
C. Minimum Qualifications and Requirements. Applicants for lateral appointments must meet the following requirements in addition to the minimum qualifications and requirements of entry-level police officers as provided for in Chapter III.
1. Additional Requirements.
a. Be twenty-one years old.
b. Be a citizen of the United States of America.
c. Have two years’ previous related experience in good standing within the four-year period immediately preceding the close of the application deadline. Related police officer experience includes:
i. Cumulative related service must include a minimum of two years of uniform patrol duty as a commission law enforcement officer and validated evidence of successful completion of a related training academy certified by the appropriate state, federal or local regulatory or oversight agency and must be able to obtain an Illinois State certification.
ii. Military police, detention/correction officer, reserve officer, university/campus police, and federal law enforcement personnel will not be considered as previous related experience.
d. Have documented satisfactory performance ratings on at least two annual performance evaluations for each year of employment during the last five years’ period to the application deadline. At time of application, applicants are required to submit satisfactory performance ratings, letters of successful performance, or equivalent information for each year of related experience claimed.
e. Be able to perform minimum essential job functions of the position.
f. Have ability to speak, hear and understand ordinary speech and meet all minimum physical, mental and medical standards.
g. Have a valid driver’s license.
h. Meet such other requirements established by the board.
i. Be required to fully disclose all personnel matters to include agreements and sealed files.
j. Submit three letters of recommendation.
k. Must agree to comply with all requirements of the position.
l. Be under the age of forty-three.
Each applicant shall furnish upon request, a copy of the following: birth certificate, high school diploma or GED, transcripts and diplomas of higher learning, training certificates, naval or military service board and discharge papers, a resume, documents confirming work experience, and employee evaluations.
D. Prescreening of Applicants. The qualifications of applicants for lateral appointment shall be prescreened by the chief of police and his designee(s). The prescreening shall consist of a structured interview, preliminary background investigation, and an assessment of the applicant’s skills, education and professional experience.
E. Recommendation to Board. Upon completion of the prescreening, the chief of police shall make recommendations to the board based upon the applicant’s qualifications and the requirements of the position sought. The chief of police shall provide a recommendation only to the commission identifying the candidates as “highly qualified,” “qualified” and “not qualified.”
F. Oral Interview. The oral interview of applicants for lateral appointment shall be conducted by at least two commissioners of the board. The commissioners may invite the chief and/or the deputy chiefs to be present during the oral interview. Questions asked of each applicant will enable the commissioners to properly evaluate the applicant’s qualifications, training, and previous experience as pertain to the duties of the position sought. On completion of the oral interview, the commissioners will discuss the applicant’s ability and the recommendations of the chief of police and will then grade the applicant on a scale between one and one hundred for purpose of ranking the applicants for lateral appointment.
G. Lateral Appointment List. After completion of the oral interviews, the board shall prepare a lateral appointment eligibility list. The candidate with the highest score shall appear at the top of the list. The remaining candidates shall appear on the list in descending order according to their scores. The lateral appointment list shall be valid for a period of one year from its establishment. When the village board of trustees requests that the next lateral appointment candidate be brought forward, the board shall complete the psychological examination, character and background investigation and the preemployment medical physical on the next candidate.
H. Physical Ability Test. All candidates for lateral appointment may be required to submit themselves to a power test. The power test may be administered either to one candidate at a time or to groups of candidates. The power test shall be graded on a pass or fail basis. Failure of the applicant to take or pass the power test shall result in the removal of the candidate from further consideration.
I. Psychological Examination. Candidates for lateral appointment, upon notification and at the discretion of the board, shall submit themselves for a “psychological examination” to be given by a qualified and recognized examiner selected by the board. These tests are given solely to determine a candidate’s suitability for employment and are graded on a pass-or-fail basis. The successful candidate’s report becomes part of the personnel file. Failure of the candidate to appear for or pass the psychological examination shall result in the removal of the candidate from further consideration.
J. Character and Background Investigation. At the request of the board, made at any time during the application process, the police department shall conduct a character and background investigation of candidates for lateral appointment, the results of which will be forwarded to the board for evaluation. The board, in its discretion, may also interview a candidate personally at any time during the application process.
K. Preemployment Medical Physical. All candidates for lateral appointment must agree to submit to a preemployment medical physical to ascertain fitness for duty, including alcohol and drug screening.
L. Probationary Period. All individuals certified for lateral appointment must successfully complete a probationary period as provided for in the bargaining agreement for the police department. (Ord. 2008-17 § 1, 2008)
2.64.050 Alternate procedure for hiring fully qualified firefighters/EMTs.1
A. For purposes of this section “fully qualified firefighter/EMT” shall mean:
1. A paid-on-call “firefighter/member” of the Riverdale fire – rescue department for a minimum of three years and possesses all certifications required by Illinois law to be employed as a firefighter/EMT (EMT) as certified to a minimum level of Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Firefighter II (Basic), and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) EMT-B.
2. An individual who is or who has previously been employed as a full-time certified firefighter/EMT in the state of Illinois for a minimum of two years out of the last five years.
3. Has obtained a high school diploma or its equivalent (G.E.D. certificate).
4. Provided the following: copies of birth certificate, training certificates, military discharge papers if applicable, resume, document confirming work history and experience and employee evaluations if accessible.
B. Whenever the fire chief certifies in writing to the mayor and board of trustees that there is a present need to hire a fully qualified firefighter/EMT to fill a vacancy, the village is authorized to hire a fully qualified firefighter/EMT for such vacancy from the established eligibility list that must be posted as approved by the fire/police commissioners. Additionally, the fire chief shall develop advertising, solicitation and interviewing procedures in order to secure applicants from within the ranks of the Riverdale fire – rescue department “paid-on-call firefighters/EMT” or “lateral transfer of qualified firefighters” from another Illinois fire department.
C. Upon completion of applicant’s prescreening the fire chief shall make recommendations to the board of fire/police commissioners based upon the applicant’s qualifications and the requirements of the position sought. The “fire chief” shall provide a recommendation to the fire/police commissioners, identifying candidates as being “highly qualified,” “qualified” or “not qualified.”
D. Additional Requirements. The board of fire and police commissioners shall, at a minimum, require that candidates for lateral entry to the fire department successfully complete the following steps:
1. Be at least twenty-one years old at time of application.
2. Be a United States of America citizen.
3. Complete an application from the village of Riverdale fire – rescue department.
4. Return to the board of the fire and police commissioners and the village a completed application with all necessary and supporting documents of training and certifications.
5. Oral interview with the board of the fire and police commissioners.
6. Background investigations.
7. Polygraph examination.
8. Complete “physical agility test” within required time of seven minutes or less.
9. Meet other requirements established by the board of fire/police commissioners.
10. Psychological evaluation.
11. Physical examination by selected village of Riverdale “occupational physicians.”
12. Submit three letters of recommendation.
13. Have a valid driver’s license.
14. Be under the age of 43.
15. Must comply with all requirements of the position of “firefighter/EMT.”
E. In order to be eligible for hiring a fully qualified firefighter/EMT, an applicant must meet all other eligibility criteria established by the board of fire and police commissioners or this code for newly hired employees of the Riverdale fire – rescue department.
F. Nothing in this section authorizes the village to hire any employees over and above the number of employees authorized and budgeted by the mayor and board of trustees from time to time.
G. Any firefighter/EMT hired under this section shall be placed at entry level on the salary scale pursuant to the applicable collective bargaining agreement of Local No. 3580. (Ord. 2010-19 § 1, 2010)
Code reviser’s note: Ordinance 2010-19 adds these provisions as Section 2.64.040. The section has been editorially renumbered to prevent duplication of numbering.