Illinois Law Enforcement Training & Standards Board Developing Curriculum to Instruct Police Officers on Implementation of State's New Concealed Carry Law

The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) today announced it is working to develop a curriculum that will help police officers understand the state’s new concealed carry law, enacted by the legislature on July 9, and provide instruction for how to interact with armed citizens in a manner that protects officers, members of the public and individuals licensed to carry firearms.

The concealed carry curriculum is being prepared in cooperation with the Police Training Institute, located at the University of Illinois’ Champaign-Urbana campus, and will be based upon research by expert instructors and law enforcement professionals at the University of Illinois and ILETSB staff. ILETSB and the University of Illinois entered into an intergovernmental agreement in 2012 to conduct research into law enforcement practices, technologies, and training methods and delivery systems.

The training program will include: an emphasis on how the new law changes safety considerations for both officers and the public; alterations in law enforcement officers’ interactions with individuals during traffic stops; how to verify the possession and authenticity of concealed carry permits; and investigation and arrest procedures in cases when persons violate requirements of the new concealed carry law. Additionally, officers will engage in a variety of scenario-based exercises meant to simulate situations they may encounter on the streets.

“The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is committed to conducting research into new and innovative aspects of criminal justice that will enhance practices and procedures within the law enforcement profession,” said Chancellor Phyllis Wise. “We appreciate the opportunity, via the university’s Police Training Institute, to do our part to prepare the state’s local law enforcement officers for the implementation of this significant new law.”

“The Board’s job is to respond quickly to changes in state statute to ensure that Illinois police officers have all the instruction necessary to perform their jobs in a professional, safe manner,” ILETSB Executive Director Kevin McClain said. “We are fortunate to be in a position to collaborate with our partners at the University of Illinois to develop a thoughtful training program, but are mindful that it will be a momentous undertaking to train both new police recruits and the state’s nearly forty thousand current police officers by early next year.”
           
The new concealed carry course will be mandated for all recruits at the six board-certified basic training police academies; it will also be made available to the state’s 39,000 sworn officers through the Board’s 16 Mobile Team Training Units, which operate across Illinois. The Board will strongly encourage all law enforcement departments and agencies to obtain in-service training and education for their officers.

ILETSB is responsible for the certification of all police officers employed by units of local government, including: cities, villages, counties, colleges and universities, community colleges, and park districts.  The board provides basic training to new recruits through six academies located across Illinois, and offers in-service training to active duty police officers.  The six board-certified police academies in Illinois are the Illinois State Police Academy, Chicago Police Department Academy, Cook County Sheriff’s Police Academy, Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois, Southwestern Illinois College Police Academy, and the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy at the College of DuPage.