ILEAP standards updated in new Third Edition (2022); with the changes, ILEAP is SAFE-T Act compliantApril 26, 2022
ILEAP is the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program, the official accreditation program for local law enforcement in Illinois and is under the umbrella of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. The Standards Update Team worked tirelessly to update and improve standards for Tier 1, which had 67 standards, and Tier 2, which had 180 standards. Not only was every standard reviewed, but some standards were improved to reflect best practices. The Third Edition ILEAP Manual is SAFE-T Act compliant. The Third Edition is being rolled out to Illinois agencies and to ILACP’s Power DMS and Lexipol Partners in April 2022. Tier 1 now has 69 standards and Tier 2 has 181 standards. ADM 02.02, Limits of Authority, was moved from Tier 2 to 1 because many of these constitutional safeguards were part of the SAFE-T Act, but it also made good sense for them to be in Tier 1. This includes guidance on no-knock warrants, the new three-phone call rule, and posting of rights. The Third Edition includes a new stand-alone standard for Illinois’ training mandates. This standard will help departments track and prove compliance with state mandates. Furthermore, the Third Edition incorporates a Body Worn Camera schedule and standard with our Mobile Video Recording standard. The use of force standards were thoroughly reviewed and updated. The use of force update includes provisions on limiting chokeholds, duty to intervene, and rendering aid after force options are applied. The revisions bring the standard in compliance with SAFE-T Act. The ILEAP Manual Third Edition also addresses “ghost marking” on police cars. ILEAP has classified them as marked vehicles and eligible for patrol/pursuit/traffic duties, so long as they have emergency lights, siren, and constant communication abilities with the Communications Center. Current ILEAP-accredited agencies are being asked to comply with the Third Edition as soon as possible but will only have to prove compliance on their next ILEAP Annual Report. There will be a transition period to get this worked out. Those who use PowerDMS for ILEAP (which is required at the beginning of 2023) will be notified through that system about which standards are new or modified. You can find the Third Edition online at www.ilchiefs.org. Go to the Programs menu tab and look for ILEAP. The Acknowledgments section in the Third Edition credits the following members of the Standards Update Team with considerable assistance in reviewing the standards and making changes where necessary: Holly Nearing, Roy Hanold, George Carpenter, John Lawson, Paul Yaras, Dean Myles, Kevin Grampo, Tony Brown, Sara Balmes and Jeff Hamer. “On behalf of our members, I want to thank every member of this Standards Update Team,” said ILACP Executive Director Ed Wojcicki. “This Third Edition is an important development in the professionalism in law enforcement in Illinois, and the experts stepped up and made this happen.” For more information on the Third Edition, you can attend Lt. Jeff Hamer’s workshop at the ILACP Conference in Northbrook on Friday of this week. If you can’t attend, Jeff is planning to record a workshop for broadcast in the near future. |
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