Photo: Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki
After lengthy delays, Illinois police regulators are one step closer to strengthening their ability to strip officers of their certification to work in law enforcement. The move aims to prevent officers who commit misconduct at one agency from simply moving on to another — a phenomenon sometimes called “wandering cops.”
Regulators with the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) released draft administrative rules earlier this month that will allow the agency to begin tackling hundreds of cases in which a police department, prosecutor’s office or member of the public has filed a complaint seeking to strip a police officer of their certification.
The regulations are the first step in implementing several provisions around police decertification included in the 2021 criminal justice reform SAFE-T Act. The process has been “stalled” for years, according to Impact for Equity, a Chicago-based law and policy nonprofit organization.