When employing a law enforcement applicant who has previously been certified as a law enforcement officer in another state, the hiring agency may request a waiver of Illinois basic law enforcement training if the officer meets the conditions outlined below.

All the Following Conditions for Reciprocity Must be Satisfied:

1. Agencies seeking a reciprocity waiver for training completed outside of Illinois must conduct a thorough background check and provide verification of the officer's prior training. (Note: only agencies, not individuals, can request reciprocity)
2. Candidates must have successfully completed a basic law enforcement training course at a POST certified academy with a curriculum deemed equivalent to the Illinois Law Enforcement Basic Training Course.
3. Candidates must have successfully completed one year of full-time employment with a law enforcement agency in the state where they were trained.
4. Candidates must not have had a break in service of more than six months prior to the reciprocity waiver submission.
5. Candidate must pass the equivalency certification exam.

Guidance:

An agency may request guidance in the review of a reciprocity applicants training records to identify and set training conditions prior to the employment of the reciprocity applicant with the agency. 

To seek Board staff  guidance an agency should send a letter to the Board on the agency’s letterhead signed by agency’s head providing the reciprocity applicant’s:

1. Biographical information
2. Authorization to Obtain and Release Information signed by the applicant
3. A copy of the reciprocity applicant’s Basic Training Certificate (if available)

The supplemental documentation, Authorization to Obtain and Release Form, and a copy of the Basic Training Certificate (if available) must be submitted to receive such assistance. Please email those documents to PTB.Certification@Illinois.gov  (preferred) or mail them to the ILETSB office.

The Board can start the review of the training records to provide guidance in determining what training conditions should be set for the reciprocity applicant to fulfill the conditions of the waiver from training.

Important Things to Know:

Any officer seeking reciprocity coming into Illinois with less than one year of service, after completion of the academy, is not eligible for reciprocity and will have to attend an Illinois academy.

Any officer seeking reciprocity coming into Illinois with less than two years of service, after completion of the academy, will have to attend the 120-hour Transition Academy in addition to meeting the other reciprocity standards below.

Any officer seeking reciprocity coming into Illinois, with two or more years of service after completion of the academy, at a minimum will have to complete the 118-hour online Law for Police Course and the 4-hour Mandatory Firearm Training before being allowed to take the 200-question Equivalency Exam. A reciprocity officer is allowed to sit for the exam three times with employing agency’s approval before being required to attend an Illinois academy. The Board reserves the right to add additional training to the minimum standards based upon the individual needs of the officer seeking reciprocity.

Responsibility of the Hiring Agency:

The hiring agency must provide the following to ILETSB when hiring an out-of-state trained officer:

1. A FORM E and WAIVER/Reaction submitted through the Board's LEDI System
2. Authorization to Obtain and Release Information signed by the applicant
3. A copy of the candidate’s FBI criminal history check based upon the 10-print submission
4. A copy of the candidate’s Basic Training Certificate (if available)

The supplemental documentation, Authorization to Obtain and Release Form, FBI criminal history check and a copy of the Basic Training Certificate (if available) must be submitted to begin the reciprocity training waiver review process. Please email those documents to PTB.Certification@Illinois.gov (preferred) or mail them to the ILETSB office.

The officer must meet the conditions of the reciprocity training waiver, within six months from date of hire, to become certified in Illinois. Failure to meet this deadline will result in the denial of the waiver. At that point, the officer will need either to be separated from the law enforcement agency or enrolled to attend an Illinois basic law enforcement academy.

Military Law Enforcement Reciprocity:

Illinois will allow prior Active Service Component Army, Airforce, Marine and Navy Military Police Service Members to seek reciprocity for their Basic Military Police Training and Law Enforcement Experience. As with all reciprocity and waiver requests these will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, however the applicant must, at a minimum, meet the following requirements to request a waiver from training and activation as an Illinois law enforcement officer:

1. Must have a Military Police Occupation Specialty (MOS):
   • U.S Army 31A, 31B or 31K
   • U.S Marine Corps 5803, 5811, 5812, 5813, 5814, 5816, or 5819
   • U.S. Air Force 3PO51, 3PO71 or 3PO91
   • U.S. Navy Master at Arms – MA
2. Must have successfully completed branch Basic Military Police Training and have a minimum of two years of Law Enforcement Experience with an exit date of Service of December 22, 2018, or later.
3. Be honorably discharged from the Armed Forces and annotated as such on DD Form-214
4. Successfully complete background investigation & copy of candidates FBI criminal history check based upon the 10-print submission
5. Authorization to Obtain and Release Information signed by the officer and must be able to provide copies of supporting training documentation, Certificate of Completion from Basic Military Police Training, DD Form-214 and any other requested paperwork.
6. Must be 21 years of age or older

Conditions of waivers at a minimum would include:

1. 118-hour Law for Police
2. 40-hour Comprehensive Mandate Course
3. Applicants must pass Certification Exam
4. Any additional training ILETSB may feel is warranted

Reciprocity is Currently Not Applicable to National Guard and Reserve Components.

Before you contact our office, please take note:

ILETSB cannot give pre-determinations to either agencies or individual officers on whether a reciprocity training waiver will be granted. ILETSB can provide guidance on anticipated training conditions, but  a final decision will not be made until the officer is employed by the agency seeking the waiver from training and activation.  An officer must be hired by an Illinois law enforcement agency, meeting all that agency's and the state's hiring requirements.  ILETSB is not involved in setting or overseeing hiring requirements.  Once an officer has been appointed, and a training/reciprocity waiver has been submitted by the employing agency with all required supporting documentation, Board staff will then begin the process (or continue the review if guidance was sought) of deciding on eligibility for a reciprocity waiver.  Each waiver is decided on a case-by-case basis, taking all the information provided into account.  Once the determination has been made, the employing agency will be notified, and they will then notify the officer. Board staff will only communicate with the employing agency, not with the individual officer on all waiver matters.

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