Law enforcement training programs may be cut as soon as Nov. 1 resulting from a lack of funding, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

Mobile Team Unit 15, located in Carbondale, is one of 15 training centers in Illinois that may be affected because of a lack of funding for their salaries. Programs that may be cut include classes with paid instructors that train police officers.  

MTU 15 provides specialized training to 163 county and municipal law enforcement agencies, including 27 counties in southern Illinois. It also offers 200 training programs to 1,600 officers annually. Every officer pays $60 in dues to SICJP annually.

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Potential classes that may be cut include Freedom of Information Act, Boots on the Ground and Breath Analysis Operator Training, among many others, according to Michael Norrington, director of the Southern Illinois Criminal Justice Program and former SIU police officer.

“Twenty-two years on the job and this is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” Norrington said.

The training classes are solely funded by the Traffic and Criminal Conviction Surcharge Fund, which comes from traffic violations in Illinois. Each MTU has five to 30 teachers, depending on the size of the town. If these cuts are made, staff members will be laid off and training programs will cease.

Chuck Doan, police training specialist, teaches several classes that could be cut.

“Officers have to be re-certified in handgun training every 12 months,” Doan said. “There are other ways to get training and certification, but they would undoubtedly cost more.”

Both Norrington and Doan recognize that without proper training, the 36,000 police officers in Illinois will not be equipped for the job.

“Not many states have a program like this,” Norrington said. “There are two things that are hurtful to me personally: to know that the money is in the TACCSF and it’s not being used, and the program I’ve always been proud of is going down the tubes.”

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Shannon Allen can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ShannonAllen_DE