[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village
of Westville as Ch. 30, Art. II, of the 2015 Code. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
There is hereby established a department of the municipal government
of the Village which shall be known as the "Police Department." The
Police Department shall consist of the Chief of Police and such number
of patrolmen as may be provided from time to time by the Village Board.
There is hereby established the office of the Chief of Police.
The Chief of Police shall be appointed by the Mayor with the advice
and consent of the Village Board for a term of one year.
The Chief of Police shall keep such records and make reports
concerning the activities of his department as may be required. The
Chief shall be responsible for the performance of the Police Department,
of all its functions, and all persons who are members of the Department
shall serve subject to the orders of the Chief of Police.
Unless otherwise provided, all patrolmen shall be appointed
by the Mayor, by and with the advice and consent of the Village Board.
A police officer may be appointed to office by the Mayor and Village
Board if he meets the necessary qualifications, notwithstanding the
fact that the policeman is not a resident of the Village when appointed
or when he is to serve as such an official.
The Police Department shall receive such compensation as may
be provided by ordinance or resolution of the Village Board.
The policeman shall devote his entire time to the performance
of the duties of his office and is hereby charged with the preservation
of the peace, order and safety of the Village and with the duty of
protecting the rights of persons and property and of enforcing all
laws and also all orders of the Village Board. He shall take notice
of all nuisances, obstructions and defects on the highways or other
public places, and shall cause the same to be abated or removed, or
immediate notice thereof given to the proper officer whose duty it
may be to take action in relation thereto. When requested by the Mayor,
he shall attend, either in person or by deputy, all meetings of the
Village Board, execute all its orders and close the Board Chamber
upon the adjournment of that body. He shall also execute all warrants
or other legal process required to be executed by him under any ordinance
of the Village or laws of the State of Illinois. (See 65 ILCS 5/11-1-2.)
The Police Department, with the approval of the Village Board,
may enter into an agreement to provide police protection to neighboring
municipalities.
The Mayor may, on special occasions when, in his judgment the
public peace and order of the Village shall require, appoint and commission
any number of special policemen as may be necessary and shall fix,
in order of their appointment, the time during which each shall serve.
All such special policemen, during such time, shall possess the powers
and exercise the duties of regular police patrolmen; provided that
their appointment, if for more than 10 days, shall be subject to the
consent of the Village Board in the manner that other appointments
to office by the Mayor are subject. Auxiliary policemen shall not
carry firearms, except with the permission of the Chief of Police
and then only when in uniform and in the performance of their duties.
All police shall have the power and authority to execute Village
warrants or other similar legal processes outside the corporate limits
of the Village and within such distance therefrom as authorized by
law in all cases when any ordinance of the Village Board made pursuant
to law shall prescribe a penalty for the violation of any of its provisions
by persons residing, acting or doing any business within the limits
of the Village.
Every police officer of the Village may, at any time, call upon
any able-bodied person(s) above the age of 18 years to aid him in
the arresting, retaking or holding in custody of any person guilty
of having committed any unlawful act or charged therewith, or to aid
such officer in preventing the commission of any unlawful act.
Every police officer shall aid the Fire Department by giving
the alarm in case of fire and in clearing the streets or grounds in
the immediate vicinity of any fire so that the firemen shall not be
hindered or obstructed in the performance of their duties.
Any member of the Police Department who shall neglect or refuse
to perform any duty required of him by this chapter or the rules and
regulations of the Department, or who shall be, in the discharge of
his official duties, guilty of any fraud, favoritism, extortion, oppressions
or willful wrong or injustice, shall be subject to removal from office.[1]
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
No member on an active tour of duty or while wearing the official
policeman's badge of the Village shall indulge in the use of intoxicating
liquor or illegal drugs of any kind; and intoxication at any time
shall be sufficient cause for removal.
Any member of the Police Department shall appear as witness
whenever this is necessary in a prosecution for a violation of an
ordinance or of any state or federal law. No such member shall retain
any witness fee for service as witness in any action or suit to which
the Village is a party; and fees paid for such services shall be turned
over to the Chief of Police, who shall deposit the same with the Village
Treasurer.
The Chief of Police may make or prescribe such rules and regulations
for the conduct and guidance of the members of the Police Department
as he shall deem advisable; and such rules, when approved by the Mayor,
shall be binding on such members.
All police officers, prior to entering upon any of their duties,
shall receive a course of training in the use of weapons by the proper
authorities as established by the State of Illinois. All full-time
and part-time police officers shall complete a course on police procedures
by the proper authorities as established by the State of Illinois
Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board within the prescribed
time period as established by such Board. Upon completion of the course
of training, the officer shall file with the Mayor a certificate attesting
to the completion of the course. (See Addendum A.[1])
[1]
Editor's Note: Addendum A is included as an attachment to this chapter.
The Chief of Police shall be the custodian of all lost and abandoned
or stolen property in the Village.
[Amended 9-13-2011 by Ord. No. 11-1409]
A.
All police officers, other than those officers who shall be employed
on a full-time basis, shall be qualified to enter and successfully
complete any training mandated by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training
Standards Board.
B.
Part-time police officers may be hired by the Village, as authorized
by Section 3.1-30-21 of the Illinois Municipal Code (65 ILCS 5/3.1-30-21),
in accordance with the following hiring standards:
(1)
The applicant must be a United States citizen;
(2)
The applicant must be 21 years of age or older;
(3)
The applicant must possess a high school diploma or GED equivalency;
(4)
The applicant must have a valid driver's license;
(5)
The applicant must have eyesight of 20/20, or correctable to 20/20;
(6)
The applicant must not be color-blind;
(7)
The applicant must have no felony convictions, or any violations
(whether conviction or other dispositions where a finding of guilty
was made) of other crimes involving moral turpitude as determined
solely by the Village (See 50 ILCS 705/6.1 and 65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-6
for list of disqualifying misdemeanor offenses.);
(8)
The applicant must meet all standards set forth in 430 ILCS 65/0.01
et seq., pertaining to the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act;
and
(9)
The hiring standards for part-time police officers, as set forth
hereinabove, shall be submitted by the Chief of Police to the Illinois
Law Enforcement Training Standards Board.
C.
Part-time police officers shall not exceed more than the amount of
hours of employment restricted by statute in a calendar year.
[Amended 10-14-2014 by Ord. No. 14-1450]
The Mayor may establish a written K-9 Unit Policy which covers
procedure, guidelines, responsibilities, training, duties, and all
matters related to the K-9 Unit. If the Mayor elects to establish
said written policy, it will become effective immediately upon delivering
a copy to the Police Chief. The policy may be amended, repealed, or
modified at any time by written notification by the Mayor to the Police
Chief at any time.
