Hurley Backs Efforts to Help Recruit Officers

A pair of new laws supported by state Rep. Fran Hurley, D-Chicago, will enhance incentives to recruit and retain quality law enforcement officers.

“The police profession is incredibly difficult and demanding – which is why we have to do what we can to support officers and ensure that the position is attractive for someone who wants to serve their community and make it a career,” Hurley said.

“After engaging and listening to law enforcement on recommendations, we passed a couple of measures this year that are aimed at helping with recruitment and retaining our experienced officers. These new ideas were brought to us by the Illinois State Police and other organizations this legislative session, and we moved quickly to enact them.”

Hurley backed House Bill 3863, which creates the Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention Fund to be used by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to provide grants to law enforcement agencies for hiring and retention of law enforcement officers.

Additionally, Hurley supported passage of House Bill 1568, which offers new incentives to law enforcement by:

– Lowering the retirement age for select Illinois State Police employees from 60 to 55 years of age,
– Tasking the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board with creating a report with recommendations to the General Assembly for establishing minimum requirements for credits that may transfer from Illinois colleges to satisfy the requirements of law enforcement and correctional intern courses, and
– Allowing retiring sheriffs, investigators, security employees and probation officers to purchase their badge and service firearm.

Both proposals were recently signed into law by the governor.

“If we want to tackle crime seriously, we have to ensure that our police have the tools and resources they need to do their job safely and effectively,” Hurley said. “Maintaining a strong, experienced police force is critical if any community wants to be safe. I look forward to continuing to work with law enforcement officials to ensure their needs are met.”

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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