§ 240-40 — Security police force

The Board of the Authority may establish and maintain a Security Police Force and may define and prescribe all such peace officers' duties and compensation. Every security police officer appointed by the Board to such Security Police Force, as the same shall be from time to time hereafter constituted, shall have and is hereby vested with police powers, and is hereby authorized to act as a conservator of the peace within and upon driveways, sidewalks and property controlled by such Authority, and shall have power to make arrests or cause to be arrested, with or without process, any person who breaks the peace, or may be found violating any of the penal ordinances of such Authority, or of the City of Rockford or any criminal law of the State. An arrest may be made by any such officer without a warrant when a criminal offense is committed or attempted in his presence or when a criminal offense has, in fact, been committed, and the officer has reasonable ground for believing that the person to be arrested has committed it. Any person so arrested shall, without unnecessary delay, be taken by such officer before the circuit court of the county having jurisdiction of the offense committed or charged against such person, and such police officer shall thereupon make and file a complaint in writing under oath, against such defendant, charging the violation by such defendant of such statute or ordinance, and such offender shall thereupon be dealt with according to law in the same manner as if he had been arrested in the first instance under warrant lawfully issued. However, no member of any such Security Police Force shall be vested with any police power outside the limits of the metropolitan area except pursuant to and in accordance with an intergovernmental cooperation agreement to which the Authority is a party. In all actions for the violation of any ordinance of the Authority, the first process shall be a summons or a warrant. A warrant for the arrest of an accused person may issue upon the affidavit of any person that an ordinance has been violated, and that person making the complaint has reasonable grounds to believe that the party charged is guilty thereof. Every person arrested upon a warrant, without unnecessary delay, shall be taken before the proper officer for trial. The Board of the Authority may establish reasonable eligibility requirements for appointment to such Security Police Force relating to health, habits and moral character. However, no person may be appointed hereunder unless that person is at least 21 years of age. No person may be appointed to or be retained in the Security Police Force unless that person is of good character and not a habitual drunkard, gambler or a person convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude. All such Security Police Force personnel authorized to carry weapons shall receive a course of training in the legal and practical use of such weapons as is required of a police officer under the Peace Officer and Probation Officer Firearm Training Act, and all such Security Police Force personnel shall also have received the training and certification required by the Illinois Police Training Act.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 98-725, eff. 1-1-15 .)