Palatine makes change to attract police officers with experience

The village of Palatine has made a change to its police hiring rules to attract a wider pool of candidates in the midst of a challenging hiring environment for law enforcement.

The change approved by the village board Monday allows the creation of a "lateral hiring list" for applicants who've already served as sworn, full-time law enforcement officers for a minimum, continuous two years and are in good standing with their current agency.

Such applicants will not have to take the written police test, a requirement they fulfilled to be hired at accredited law enforcement agencies, Village Manager Reid Ottesen said.

Applicants with experience will still need to undergo a background check and oral interview with the board of fire and police commissioners, he said.

The change is expected to attract officers from smaller and less diverse police departments, Ottesen said. The lateral list will be concurrent to the traditional eligibility list for applicants with less or no experience.

"It gives us another tool as we go out there to try to recruit the best that we can in Palatine," he said.

Police Chief Dave Daigle said the change is expected to provide more options to keep the department fully staffed. Four officers retired last week, and four or five more are expected to retire this year.

"We conducted a test in August 2021 and have nearly exhausted our eligibility list. If 2021 is any indication, we are facing the possibility of a reduced number of candidates and feel that taking lateral candidates will enhance the ability to identify and hire proven, experienced candidates."

Departments across the suburbs are facing turnover and staffing challenges as a result of the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and increased negative perception of law enforcement.

Also, Palatine police have had difficulties reserving spots at police academies, where slots are coveted and classes were smaller last year due to the pandemic, Daigle said. The lateral hiring list would sidestep that issue.

The village can make employment offers to candidates from either list. The police chief, in concurrence with the village manager, can select the candidate from the top one-third of the eligibility list or any candidate from the lateral list.