To become a certified part-time officer in Illinois, you first have to be hired by a police department, then complete the same basic training course as full-time officers within 18 months of that hire date, and pass a 200-question state certification exam. The Illinois part-time police academy requirements are set by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board under the Illinois Police Training Act, and every recruit runs the same gauntlet: agency sponsorship, 640 hours of instruction delivered on nights and weekends, and a written exam at the end.
Who Counts as a Part-Time Officer
Illinois defines a part-time police officer by hours worked. Under state administrative rules, part-time means employment of 1,560 hours or less in a twelve-month period starting each January 1, which averages to roughly 30 hours a week.1Legal Information Institute. Illinois Admin Code Title 20 1770.102 – Definitions Cross that ceiling and you’re classified as full-time, with different training and employment rules.
On duty, a certified part-time officer carries the same police powers as a full-time officer within the same jurisdiction. The one hard restriction: part-time officers cannot supervise or direct full-time officers, no matter how experienced they are.2Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. Sample Part-Time Ordinance
You Have to Be Hired First
You cannot enroll in a part-time academy on your own. The Illinois Police Training Act requires recruits to be formally employed by a municipal, county, or state law enforcement agency before the state will authorize training.3Illinois General Assembly. 50 ILCS 705 – Illinois Police Training Act The hiring agency runs its own application process, which typically includes a background investigation and a medical exam. Once hired, you enter probationary status and must be enrolled in a Board-approved training course within six months of active employment.4Justia Law. Illinois Code 50 ILCS 705 – Illinois Police Training Act
Recruits should expect to provide proof of a high school diploma or GED as part of the department’s onboarding. The enrollment paperwork itself, including the Form E Notice of Appointment submitted through the state’s Law Enforcement Document Interchange system, is handled by the department’s training officer, not by you.
Criminal History That Disqualifies You
A felony conviction of any kind permanently disqualifies you from serving as a police officer in Illinois. The state also maintains a list of more than three dozen misdemeanor offenses that trigger automatic decertification. Among them: domestic battery, theft, criminal sexual abuse, resisting a police officer, deceptive practices, violations of orders of protection, harassment through electronic communication, delivering cannabis on school grounds, and tampering with a public official’s certification.5Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. ILETSB – Decertification
If a certified officer is later convicted of any listed offense, the certificate is automatically revoked with no discretionary review.
What the Training Covers
The statute is explicit that part-time training must be “of similar content and the same number of hours as the courses for full-time officers.”3Illinois General Assembly. 50 ILCS 705 – Illinois Police Training Act The full-time local law enforcement basic course runs 640 hours.6Illinois State Police. Local Training – Division of the Academy and Training
Curriculum covers criminal law and procedure, firearms proficiency, defensive tactics, traffic enforcement, and human behavior. Federal constitutional standards for use of force are a core component.
The difference between the two tracks is delivery, not content. Full-time recruits attend a residential academy and finish in about 16 weeks. Part-time recruits spread those same 640 hours across evenings and weekends over a much longer period, which is exactly why the 18-month completion deadline is so tight.
Where and When Classes Run
The part-time academy is offered twice per calendar year through Mobile Team Units stationed across the state. Four MTUs handle scheduling:
- MTU 3, Northern Illinois
- MTU 10, Law Enforcement Training Advisory Commission in Springfield
- MTU 14, Southwestern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission in Belleville
- MTU 15, Southern Illinois Criminal Justice Training Program in Carbondale
MTU 14 and MTU 3 handle primary scheduling. Downstate recruits are assigned to MTU 10, MTU 14, or MTU 15 based on geography, provided there are enough participants to support a local class.7Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. Part-Time – ILETSB
The Deadlines That Can End a Career Before It Starts
Two statutory deadlines govern part-time recruits:
- Within six months of hire, you must be enrolled and accepted into a Board-approved training course.
- Within 18 months of hire, you must have your certification. If training is not completed in that window, the statute says the officer “must forfeit his or her position.”4Justia Law. Illinois Code 50 ILCS 705 – Illinois Police Training Act
The employing agency can request a Board waiver to extend the completion period, but waivers are granted only for good and justifiable reasons, and during any waiver period the probationary officer cannot work as a law enforcement officer.
There is one partial exception. A probationary part-time officer who has completed at least six months of training may apply for a Board waiver to function as an officer while still enrolled. Withdraw from the course for any reason after that, though, and the position is forfeited immediately.3Illinois General Assembly. 50 ILCS 705 – Illinois Police Training Act
The State Certification Exam
The final week of the academy includes the state certification exam. It has 200 questions, covers the legal and tactical material from the course, and runs three and a half hours. You need 132 correct answers, or 66%, to pass. No notes, reference materials, or electronic devices are allowed.8Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. Guidelines for the Administration of the Law Enforcement Officers Certification Examination
A first-time failure is not career-ending on its own. Recruits get a maximum of two retakes, each on an alternate version of the test, and the employing agency’s chief must submit a written request to the Board for each one. Fail all three attempts and certification is denied and the position is forfeited.9Legal Information Institute. Illinois Admin Code Title 20 1770.206 – Procedures for Administration of Law Enforcement Officers Certification Examination
Officers who pass receive a certificate from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board attesting to completion of the minimum basic training requirements.10Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code 20-1720.25 – Procedures for Administration of Certification Examination
Who Pays for Training
The hiring agency pays the tuition. This is not negotiable. Training Board rules bar recruits from paying for their own training, and the Board will not reimburse an officer who pays out of pocket. Only units of government can send an officer to training, and only units of government receive tuition reimbursements.11MTU 10. About Part-Time Officer Basic Training
If an agency asks you to cover your own tuition, that request violates Board rules. Any reimbursement flows to the employing agency, never to the individual, even if the officer later leaves the department.
Waivers for Officers With Prior Experience
The Board can waive the part-time training course for candidates with extensive prior law enforcement experience gained in Illinois, another state, or with a federal agency. The waiver is evaluated case by case and is not automatic. Officers who completed a training program of similar content and equivalent hours in another jurisdiction may also qualify for Illinois certification without repeating the full course, subject to Board review of the prior program.3Illinois General Assembly. 50 ILCS 705 – Illinois Police Training Act
Ongoing Training After You’re Certified
Certification is the start of a training obligation, not the end of one. Illinois requires in-service education for all officers, including part-time, on overlapping cycles:
- Every year: law updates and use-of-force training, including scenario-based exercises.
- Every three years: constitutional use of authority, procedural justice, civil rights, mental health awareness and response, officer wellness, reporting child abuse and neglect, and cultural competency.
- Every five years: domestic violence training focused on victim and abuser dynamics, evaluating mutual claims, and preventing further victimization.
Departments schedule and track compliance, but the obligation to stay current belongs to the officer, and missing in-service requirements puts certification at risk.12ILETSBEI. Training Mandates and Frequencies