Hoping to hire a police officer in another community as its first woman officer, the Rolling Meadows Police Department has asked the City Council for the power to change its hiring standards to override a state law and conform to federal rules.
Police Chief Gerald Aponte said he wants to hire the woman, whom the department ranked No. 1 on its list of candidates after a recent talent search, as soon as possible.
Part of what makes the woman a good candidate, police said, is that she is a seasoned officer. But according to state law, at 41 years old she is a bit too seasoned; Illinois prohibits the hiring of patrol officers over 35.
At the same time, federal law forbids age discrimination, and Rolling Meadows fears that someday a qualified candidate over the state age limit could sue the city for bias.
With that in mind, the City Council is expected Tuesday to effectively overrule the state law and allow the Police and Fire Commission to draft a hiring policy based not on age but on qualifications.
Because Rolling Meadows is a home-rule community, it has the right to adopt ordinances that differ from state law. But the separate bodies within the city government, such as the Police and Fire Commission, may not have those home-rule powers, said City Atty. Donald Rose.
Rose on Tuesday night asked the City Council to explicitly grant the commission the power to differ from state law on the hiring issue. Council members responded supportively, and the measure is expected to be approved Tuesday, Aponte said Wednesday.
The officer whom Aponte wants to hire is at the top of a list of nearly 300 candidates who recently took physical, written and oral tests administered by the department, Rose said.
Aponte said his force, which has 53 sworn officers, ”is sorely in need of a female police officer.” He hopes that once the City Council action goes through, he can process the hiring papers for the officer and she can be appointed at the next Police and Fire Commission meeting in mid-August.
