Del Rivero v. Cahill

390 N.E.2d 355, 71 Ill. App. 3d 618, 28 Ill. Dec. 188, 1979 Ill. App. LEXIS 2511
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 3, 1979
Docket77-1431
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 390 N.E.2d 355 (Del Rivero v. Cahill) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Del Rivero v. Cahill, 390 N.E.2d 355, 71 Ill. App. 3d 618, 28 Ill. Dec. 188, 1979 Ill. App. LEXIS 2511 (Ill. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE LINN

delivered the opinion of the court:

Petitioner, Angel Del Rivero, brought this action in the circuit court of Cook County seeking to review a final determination of the Personnel Board of the City of Chicago (Personnel Board) removing petitioner’s name from the eligibility list of candidates for the Chicago Police Department. After reviewing the administrative record, the circuit court entered an order affirming the Personnel Board’s decision.

Petitioner’s contentions on appeal can be summarized as follows: (1) the Personnel Board erroneously considered evidence of petitioner’s prior arrests which were expunged pursuant to statute (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 38, par. 206 — 5); (2) petitioner’s disqualification on the basis of prior arrests is in violation of title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. §2000e et seq. (1976)) and the Fair Employment Practices Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 48, par. 851 etseq.)-, and (3) a departmental rule authorizing disqualification on the basis of a prior conviction for driving while under the influence denies petitioner due process and equal protection.

We affirm the judgment of the circuit court affirming the decision of the Personnel Board.

In June 1976, petitioner filed an application for employment as a police officer with the Chicago Police Department. Petitioner took the departmental examination and was found well qualified. Thereafter, following a background investigation, petitioner’s name was stricken from the eligibility list by the superintendent of police for failure to meet the background standards of the department. Specifically, the background investigation disclosed that petitioner had been convicted of driving while under the influence and that he had engaged in certain criminal conduct.

On January 5,1977, at petitioner’s request, a hearing was held by the Personnel Board to review the superintendent’s decision. A copy of petitioner’s driving record, introduced at the hearing, indicated that he had been convicted in July 1974, of driving under the influence of alcohol, resulting in a one-year suspension of his driver’s license. Petitioner related the circumstances surrounding the driving under the influence conviction.

In addition, James Lamb, a Chicago policeman, testified to an incident which had resulted in petitioner’s arrest on an aggravated battery charge in 1969. Lamb testified that on May 4, 1969, he heard two shots fired outside his home. When he went to investigate the disturbance he was confronted by a man aiming a gun at his head. He identified himself as a police officer and fired two shots, hitting the man. Lamb stated he was then attacked by four other men, including petitioner. Petitioner was arrested for aggravated battery but was found not guilty of that charge.

Evidence indicating that petitioner was of good character was also introduced on his behalf at the hearing.

On March 25, 1977, petitioner was notified that the Personnel Board affirmed the recommendation of the superintendent removing petitioner’s name from the eligibility list for police officers. The circuit court of Cook County affirmed the Personnel Board’s decision after reviewing the administrative record, and petitioner pursued this appeal.

Opinion

I

Preliminarily, a question is raised concerning the proper method of obtaining judicial review of a final decision of the Personnel Board of the City of Chicago. Petitioner’s complaint states that the action to review the Personnel Board’s decision was brought pursuant to the Administrative Review Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 110, pars. 264 through 279).

The Illinois Supreme Court has held that a municipality cannot authorize the use of the Administrative Review Act to review the decisions of an administrative agency established by ordinance pursuant to the municipality’s home rule powers. (Nowicki v. Evanston Fair Housing Review Board (1975), 62 Ill. 2d 11, 338 N.E.2d 186; Cummings v. Daley (1974), 58 Ill. 2d 1, 317 N.E.2d 22; Paper Supply Co. v. City of Chicago (1974), 57 Ill. 2d 553, 317 N.E.2d 3.) As stated in the Paper Supply Co. case:

“The method of judicial review of the decisions of the defendant city’s administrative agencies is not a ‘function pertaining to its government and affairs’ within the contemplation of section 6 of article VII of the Constitution of 1970, and the determination of the manner or method of such review is not within the powers conferred upon the City.” (57 Ill. 2d 553, 580, 317 N.E.2d 3, 17.)

Thus the courts have found that the proper method of review of a decision of an agency created by home rule ordinance is by the common law writ of certiorari. Quinlan & Tyson, Inc. v. City of Evanston (1975), 25 Ill. App. 3d 879, 324 N.E.2d 65.

The Personnel Board of the City of Chicago is an entity created by municipal ordinance (Chicago, Ill., Code 1977, ch. 25, par. 1 — 4). In an exercise of the broad home rule powers granted it under the 1970 Illinois Constitution, the City of Chicago amended its Municipal Code and created the Personnel Board as part of the Department of Personnel (Chicago, Ill., Code 1977, ch. 25, par. 1 — 1 etseq.). (See Scottv. Rochford (1978), 66 Ill. App. 3d 338, 384 N.E.2d 19.) The Department of Personnel superseded the Chicago Civil Service Commission which had existed pursuant to the Illinois Municipal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 24, par. 10 — 1—1). Although the provisions of the Administrative Review Act applied with respect to proceedings to review the decisions of the Chicago Civil Service Commission (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 24, par. 10— 1 — 45), we must conclude that the Administrative Review Act cannot be made applicable to the decisions of the Personnel Board.

This conclusion, however, has little impact on the final resolution of this case. The technical distinction between a common law and statutory action for judicial review of an agency decision does not significantly alter the reviewing process nor does it, in this case, deprive the court of jurisdiction to consider the merits of the Personnel Board’s decision. See Nowicki v. Evanston Fair Housing Review Board (1975), 62 Ill. 2d 11, 338 N.E.2d 186.

II

Petitioner contends that the Personnel Board erred in considering the facts and circumstances surrounding his arrest record after his arrests were expunged pursuant to statute (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 38, par. 206— 5).

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Bluebook (online)
390 N.E.2d 355, 71 Ill. App. 3d 618, 28 Ill. Dec. 188, 1979 Ill. App. LEXIS 2511, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/del-rivero-v-cahill-illappct-1979.