Illinois § 15-10

§ 15-10.

Qualifications for licensure as a private detective. (a) A person is qualified for licensure as a private detective if the person meets all of the following requirements: (1) Is at least 21 years of age. (2) Has not been convicted of any felony in any jurisdiction or at least 10 years have elapsed since the time of full discharge from a sentence imposed for a felony conviction. (3) Is of good moral character. Good character is a continuing requirement of licensure. Conviction of crimes other than felonies may be used in determining moral character, but shall not constitute an absolute bar to licensure, except where the applicant is a registered sex offender. (4) Has not been declared by any court of competent jurisdiction to be incompetent by reason of mental or physical defect or disease, unless a court has subsequently declared him or her to be competent. (5) Is not suffering from dependence on alcohol or from narcotic addiction or dependence. (6) Has a minimum of 3 years experience of the 5 years immediately preceding application working full-time for a licensed private detective agency as a registered private detective agency employee or with 3 years experience of the 5 years immediately preceding application employed as a full-time investigator for a licensed attorney, for an in-house investigative unit for a corporation having 100 or more employees, for any of the armed forces of the United States, or in a law enforcement agency of the federal government, a state, or a state political subdivision, which shall include a state's attorney's office or a public defender's office. The Board and the Department shall approve such full-time investigator experience and may accept, in lieu of the experience requirement in this item (6), alternative experience working full-time for a private detective agency licensed in another state or for a private detective agency in a state that does not license such agencies if the experience is substantially equivalent to that gained working for an Illinois licensed private detective agency. An applicant who has a baccalaureate degree, or higher, in law enforcement or a related field or a business degree from an accredited college or university shall be given credit for 2 of the 3 years of the required experience. An applicant who has an associate degree in law enforcement or in a related field or in business from an accredited college or university shall be given credit for one of the 3 years of the required experience. An applicant who has completed a non-degree military training program in law enforcement or a related field shall be given credit for one of the 3 years of the required experience if the Board and the Department determine that such training is substantially equivalent to that received in an associate degree program. (7) Has not been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces of the United States or has not been discharged from a law enforcement agency of the United States or of any state or of any political subdivision thereof, which shall include a state's attorney's office, for reasons relating to conduct as an employee of that law enforcement agency. (8) Has passed an examination authorized by the Department. (9) Submits the applicant's fingerprints, proof of having general liability insurance required under subsection (b), and the required license fee. (10) Has not violated Section 10-5 of this Act. (b) It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain general liability insurance in an amount and coverage appropriate for the applicant's circumstances as determined by rule. The applicant shall provide evidence of insurance to the Department before being issued a license. Failure to maintain general liability insurance and to provide the Department with written proof of the insurance shall result in cancellation of the license without hearing. (c) (Blank). (Source: P.A. 103-309, eff. 1-1-24.)