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Federal Use of Force Certification

Purpose of this certification: For local law enforcement agencies to gain certification of compliance with the U.S. Department of Justice’s standards on safe policing, in compliance with Executive Order No. 13929. Such certification of compliance is necessary to gain eligibility for federal discretionary grants.

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, through its Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ILEAP), has been designated by the United States Attorney General as the primary certifying body in Illinois.

List of Illinois agencies that have received this certification

How this works

1. The U.S. Department of Justice issued "Standards for Certification on Safe Policing for Safe Communities" on October 28, 2020, in order to implement the Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities (June 16, 2016). Those standards are available here as a PDF document.
   
   
2. Local law enforcement agencies that want to receive or continue receiving federal discretionary grants must apply for certification that says their use of force policy (a) adheres to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, and (b) prohibits the use of chokeholds except in situations where the use of deadly force is allowed by law.
   
   The initial deadline for receiving this certification is January 31, 2021. It is good for three years.
   
   
3. This certification is available to any local law enforcement agency, including municipal police departments, sheriff’s offices, university and college police departments, railroad police departments, forest preserve and conservation police departments, and so on.
   
   
4. How a local agency receives this certification:
   
   a)  Submit an application for this certification by clicking here. The fee is $150, which is good for three years. You can pay at the time of application or ask to be invoiced. Exemptions from the fee are listed below:
   
   For any agency currently accredited by ILEAP or that has applied for ILEAP since January 1, 2019, and paid its initial application fee, the $150 fee will be 100 percent waived, and there is no charge for the Use of Force Federal Certification. ILEAP is the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.
   
   Any agency that applies for ILEAP accreditation by December 31, 2021, can apply this $150 fee to its ILEAP application fee. 
   
   b)    After submitting your application, you will be notified by an ILEAP assessor within two weeks, but usually more quickly, and you will receive further instructions. You will be asked to submit your use of force policy and proof that you have implemented the policy. 
   
   
5. This entire process will occur electronically, with documents submitted via email. Instructions and assistance will be provided. 
   
   
6. ILEAP assessors will review the application and provide its recommendation for certification in a timely manner. Or, they will provide specific feedback on what is still required to achieve this Federal Use of Force Certification. Certification will be for three years.
   
   
7. You will receive an official letter from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, affirming your certification and the date of certification.
   
   
8. Your agency will be included on a list of certified agencies that ILACP regularly sends and updates with the U.S. Department of Justice.
   
   

   Apply for Federal Use of Force Certification here

Background

• President Trump issued Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities on June 16, 2020.
• Section 2 of this order gave the U.S. Attorney General the authority to certify "independent credentialing bodies" such as ILEAP to confirm that local law enforcement agencies have use of force policies to meet certain specified minimum standards.
• A copy of that entire Executive Order is available here in PDF format (June 16, 2020).
• Department of Justice Fact Sheet for implementation of this federal use of force certification in PDF format (November 2020).
• In the summer and fall of 2020, the COPS office in the Department of Justice identified 34 states with state-level independent credentialing bodies. In Illinois, that is the ILEAP program through the Illinois Chiefs, which is intended to be the primary certifying body. Also on the Designated Independent Credentialing Bodies is the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB).
• ILACP press release announcing this process (November 17, 2020)

ILEAP and Federal Use of Force Certification Coordinator:  Lt. Jeff Hamer
[email protected]
309.333.0684