(A) Creation; appointment. There is hereby created a Community Service Officer position within the Police Department. A Community Service Officer is a uniformed, unarmed, civilian member of the Police Department engaged in local ordinance enforcement and administrative duties, as provided herein. The Chief of Police, with the advice and consent of the Village Administrator, may appoint Community Service Officers in such number as the corporate authorities shall from time to time deem necessary. Such Community Service Officers shall be members of the Police Department but not subject to Board of Police and Fire Commissioners rules and regulations. Rather, such Community Service Officers shall be subject to the Village of South Elgin Personnel Policies and Procedures, as amended, and any applicable contract.
(B) Qualifications. Prior to appointment, all applicants for Community Service Officer positions shall be fingerprinted and their fingerprints shall be checked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, D.C., for possible criminal record. No person shall be appointed as a Community Service Officer if he or she has been convicted of a felony, serious misdemeanor, or other crime involving moral turpitude. An applicant for the Community Service Officer position shall:
(1) Be a United States citizen;
(2) Be at least 20 years of age;
(3) Submit certification from a licensed physician that he or she possesses sufficient physical fitness to perform the required duties;
(4) Possess good moral character.
(5) Possess a valid Illinois driver’s license.
(C) Requirements. Community Service Officers are civilian members of the Police Department. Community Service Officers, prior to entering upon any of their duties, shall receive such a course of training in the use of materials and other police procedures as shall be appropriate in the exercise of the powers conferred upon them under this section. The course of training shall be developed and provided by the corporate authorities through the Chief of Police. Community Service Officers need not be residents of the village. Identification symbols worn by such Community Service Officer shall be different and distinct from those used by the regular Police Department and shall be selected and chosen by the Chief of Police. Community Service Officers shall at all times be under the direction and control of the Chief of Police.
(D) Duties and responsibilities.
(1) Community Service Officers shall have the following powers and duties when properly assigned and on duty:
(a) To investigate and enforce the ordinances of the village;
(b) To aid or direct traffic in the village;
(c) To represent the Police Department in various public relations events; and
(d) To perform other duties as directed by the Chief of Police.
(2) Community Service Officers shall not be assigned to the following:
(a) Crimes in progress;
(b) Fights in progress;
(c) Alarms;
(d) Traffic stops;
(e) Calls requiring follow- up investigation by an investigator or juvenile officer;
(f) Domestic disturbances;
(g) Noisy parties;
(h) Suspicious persons; or
(i) Any other call which, in the discretion of a supervisor, would constitute a hazard for an unarmed officer.
(E) Firearms. Community Service Officers shall not carry firearms.
(F) Compensation. Community Service Officers shall receive such compensation and benefits as the corporate authorities shall from time to time determine.
(‘81 Code, § 2-12.08) (Ord. 1998-06, passed 2-16-98; Am. Ord. 1998-42, passed 9-14-98; Am. Ord. 2006-33, passed 6-19-06; Am. Ord. 2019-10, passed 3-4-19)