Blue Island council considers changes to allow police lateral hires, staff to draft rule changes

Blue Island councilors spent a segment of the Nov. 13 meeting discussing whether to allow lateral police hires — bringing officers from other jurisdictions in at a pay or rank consistent with their prior experience. Mayor/Chair (speaker 1) said current civil-service rules prevent lateral hires: "we can't do that right now," and staff described how nearby communities moved from civil-service commissions to boards of fire and police commissioners to enable lateral transfers.

A police-department representative (speaker 5) told the council that when other towns switched governance models they met with unions and set entry pay based on prior experience; he added that officers sometimes transfer pension credits from their prior department, which could improve the city's pension funding percentage. He said, "the statute allows you to hire lateral transfers," and offered Homewood and Posen as examples of nearby municipalities with transfer procedures.

Councilors asked about board composition and next steps; staff said they are working with a law firm and will bring draft resolutions and rule changes to a future meeting for council review. No formal vote or ordinance change was taken on Nov. 13; councilors were asked to expect further discussion at an upcoming meeting and to consult constituents and unions as appropriate.