In conjunction with the SAFE-T (Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity – Today) Act, the Illinois Legislature identified a need to provide Less Lethal training and tools for law enforcement officers use whenconfronted by violent, and potentially violent, encounters with the public during calls for service. One of these Less Lethal Alternative tools would be in the form of Conducted Energy Weapons (CEW).
Through the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA), a grant in the amount of $19 million dollars was made available and subsequently designated to ILEAS for the implementation of this equipment and training program.
The application process for the equipment portion of this Less Lethal Alternative Grant is expected to open at or near the end of the year. Eligible law enforcement agencies in Illinois will be able to apply for either the Taser 7 or Taser 10 device.
To be eligible for this grant an agency must be a local law enforcement agency from a city, town, village or other incorporated area; sheriff department of an unincorporated area; or law enforcement for any unit of local government, as defined by the Article VII of the Illinois Constitution, or a municipal corporation in this state. ICJIA has ruled that law enforcement agencies for colleges, universities, and the State of Illinois are ineligible for funding under the current opportunity.
Additionally, eligible agencies must meet the following criteria:
- Initially, any agency applying for less lethal devices were instructed they must have Federal Use of Force Certification that could be obtained through the ILACP, or other authorized sources. www.ilchiefs.org/use-of-force-certification. However, due to a recent update from the USDOJ/COPS Office on December 1st, Federal Use of Force Certification would not be required for federal grants in FY24 and that the USDOJ would be updating various standards and moving towards encouraging accreditation in FY25 (more information to be forthcoming after the new year). Discussions are currently being held to determine exactly what the requirements for grant application will be and they will be published as soon as possible.
- Any agency applying for less lethal devices must attest to having a policy governing the use of less lethal devices codified by the time of device deployment.
- All uses of grant funds shall conform to the United Nations Human Rights Guidance on the Use of Less-Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement. LLW_Guidance.pdf (ohchr.org)
Recipient agencies will be chosen through a competitive application process. Once the process goes live, applications will be available at www.ileas.org. Agencies are encouraged to sign into their ILEAS account now and ensure they meet the above-mentioned criteria before the applications become available.
Agencies do not need to be a member of ILEAS, the Illinois Chiefs Association or the Illinois Sheriff’s Association, but will need to complete the application through their ILEAS agency portal. If you have not logged in recently you are encouraged to do so to ensure your username and password are up to date.
- Go to www.ileas.org.
- In the upper right, click on AGENCY LOGIN and follow the instructions given to establish a password.
- Once logged in, you can update your Membership/Resources to ensure agency data is correct.
- If you are unable to accomplish login, then contact Tony Shaw below. He will put you in touch with the Regional Planning Coordinator that covers your department.
ILEAS anticipates that the final agreement with the ICJIA will be approved and signed within the month. We are hoping to be able to post and open the application process during the month of January. We strongly encourage agencies that intend to apply for this grant to use this time to compose or review their Use of Force and CEW policies. It is anticipated that regardless of the final decision on how to review those policies, there will be an expectation that they "embrace best practices, along with the major operational requirements of the SAFE-T Act and show compliance with the U.N. Human Rights Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons" as described by the ILACP.
Questions about this grant opportunity can be directed to the ILEAS Grant Team:
Special Programs Manager Device Coordinator Training Coordinator
John Konopek Tony Shaw Scott Allen
jjkonopek@ileas.org sashaw@ileas.org smallen@ileas.org
815-405-6444 217-530-2132 815-530-5169
Additionally, you may wish to reach out to the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police or the Illinois Sheriff’s Association for assistance with policy construction and review or other concerns that pertain to this grant opportunity.
Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Illinois Sheriff’s Association
426 S. 5th St. 401 E. Washington, Suite 1000
Springfield, Ill. 62701 Springfield, Ill. 62701