Zurek v. COOK COUNTY POLICE MERIT BD.

356 N.E.2d 1079, 42 Ill. App. 3d 1044, 1 Ill. Dec. 797, 1976 Ill. App. LEXIS 3242
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 13, 1976
Docket62637
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 356 N.E.2d 1079 (Zurek v. COOK COUNTY POLICE MERIT BD.) 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
Zurek v. COOK COUNTY POLICE MERIT BD., 356 N.E.2d 1079, 42 Ill. App. 3d 1044, 1 Ill. Dec. 797, 1976 Ill. App. LEXIS 3242 (Ill. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE ADESKO

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from an administrative review proceeding by the Cook County Police Department Merit Board, hereinafter called the Board. Defendants appeal from the trial court’s ruling that the Board lacked jurisdiction over the proceedings because charges were not filed against the plaintiffs within the time prescribed by the Board’s rules. Plaintiffs cross appeal from the trial court’s ruling that the Board’s findings and decision were supported by and in conformity with the manifest weight of the evidence.

On April 24, 1974, the sheriff of Cook County suspended plaintiffs Rayford Carter and James Zurek from their jobs as deputy sheriffs of Cook County. On May 31,1974, while the plaintiffs were still suspended, the sheriff filed formal charges with the Board, pursuant to section 12 of “An Act in relation to the Cook County Police and Corrections Merit Board” (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 125, par. 62), and article 2 of the Board’s rules and regulations. Plaintiffs received notice of these formal charges on June 7, 1974.

Evidence adduced at the hearing revealed that Carter and Zurek were working at the county jail when an inmate refused to take a shower in violation of jail rules. Upon approaching the inmate, Carter was attacked and Zurek came to his assistance. Both the inmate and Carter were injured, the inmate suffering to a more serious extent than Carter. Both Carter and Zurek were then suspended with no formal charges being filed against them until May 31, 1974. The Board found the evidence to support the discharge of Zurek and the suspension of Carter for 6 months, commencing on April 24, 1974. The trial court subsequently found that the Board lacked jurisdiction over the controversy because formal charges were not filed by the sheriff within 30 days of the commencement of suspension. The court further found that the Board’s ruling was not contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence. This appeal and cross-appeal followed.

Defendants contend that the trial court has misconstrued the Board’s rules by barring the Board from seeking further disciplinary action against employees unless charges are filed within the initial 30-day period of suspension. They look to the Board’s interpretation of its own rules in asserting that absent a statement that “no complaints may be brought after the initial 30-day suspension” or “all charges must be commenced within 30 days of suspension” the sheriff can file formal charges with the Board at any time.

Plaintiffs rely on Muscare v. Quinn (7th Cir. 1975), 520 F.2d 1212, cert. dismissed,-U.S. —, 48 L. Ed. 2d 165,_S. Ct__, in asserting that they were denied constitutional due process protection when they were summarily suspended without a presuspension hearing. Defendants look to Kropel v. Conlisk (1975), 60 Ill. 2d 17, 322 N.E.2d 793, in contending that the Act’s post-suspension review provisions are adequate to meet constitutional due process requirements. Were this court to consider the constitutional due process question, we believe Kropel would control our decision. “Decisions of Federal Courts other than the United States Supreme Court decisions are not binding on the courts of this state.” (People v. West (1971), 3 Ill. App. 3d 106, 116, 278 N.E.2d 233, 240.) Plaintiffs do not, however, question the 30-day suspensions given them in the instant case. Rather they contest Carter’s 6-month suspension and Zurek’s discharge. We therefore look to the due process afforded plaintiffs through the statute (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 125, par. 61, 62).

An administrative body, such as the Board exercises purely statutory powers and must find within its enabling statute the authority to exercise the power it claims. (Fahey v. Cook County Police Department Merit Board (1974), 21 Ill. App. 3d 579, 315 N.E .2d 573.) In Fahey this court stated at pages 583, 584:

“Administrative agencies possess only such authority as is legally conferred by express provision of law or such as, by fair implication and intendment, is incident to and included in the authority expressly conferred for the purpose of carrying out and accomplishing the objectives for which those agencies were created. (1 Am. Jur. 2d Administrative Law §§70, 72 (1962); 81 C.J.S. States §66d (1953); Essling v. St. Louis County Civil Service Comm. (1969), 283 Minn. 425,168 N.W.2d 663.) Thus, it has been said that such bodies cannot extend the substantive provisions of a legislative enactment nor create substantive rights through exercise of their rulemaking powers. (People v. Kueper (1969), 111 Ill. App. 2d 42, 249 N.E .2d 335; Madsen v. Industrial Com. (1943), 383 Ill. 590, 50 N.E.2d 707; 1 Ill. L. & Pr. Ad. L. & Proc. §24 (1953).) The restraint should apply with special force to rules enacted by civil service boards and commissions, since civil service statutes are deemed a necessary part of the contract of employment of each employee covered by them. People exrel. Jacobs v. Coffin (1918), 282 Ill. 599,119 N.E. 54; People ex reí. Polen v. Hoehler (1950), 405 Ill. 322, 90 N.E .2d 729.”

Recent cases emanating from this court have construed section 11 of the Personnel Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 127, par. 63b 111) to require a mandatory construction for the 30-day period prescribed therein. (Jackson v. Civil Service Com. (1976), 41 Ill. App. 3d 87,353 N.E .2d 31; Stevens v. Department of Law Enforcement (1974), 19 Ill. App. 3d 24,311 N.E.2d 312; McReynolds v. Civil Service Com. (1974), 18 Ill. App. 3d 1062, 311 N.E .2d 308.) These cases all found that the Civil Service Commission lost jurisdiction when it failed to hold a hearing within 30 days after the date notice was received from the plaintiff requesting a hearing. The 30-day time limitation thus insures fairness to the employee while it also prevents him from suffering monetary injury.

The sheriffs disciplinary authority is derived from sections 11 and 12 of “An Act in relation to the Cook County Police and Corrections Merit Board” (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 125, pars. 61, 62) and is amplified by the Board’s rules.

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356 N.E.2d 1079, 42 Ill. App. 3d 1044, 1 Ill. Dec. 797, 1976 Ill. App. LEXIS 3242, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zurek-v-cook-county-police-merit-bd-illappct-1976.