Huntley Police Commission adopts revised rules changing preference points and recruitment procedures

The Village of Huntley Board of Police Commissioners voted Nov. 13 to repeal and replace its Rules and Regulations and adopted a package of changes designed to adjust hiring preference and streamline lateral recruitment.

Director of Human Resources and Organizational Compliance Chrissy Hoover presented a draft prepared by attorney Jim Powers and walked commissioners through the notable revisions. Hoover told the commission the draft would award one preference point for each full year of service as a Police Cadet or Community Service Officer (CSO) with the Huntley Police Department, capped at three points; those points would be added to existing preference categories such as military, educational, or law enforcement preference points, which are listed in the draft as five points, producing a possible combined total of up to eight preference points.

Hoover said the draft also proposes moving lateral hiring from a static eligibility list to a lateral pool of applicants, a change intended to align Huntley’s process with practices other municipalities are adopting amid recruitment challenges. The commission discussed the change; no opposing motion or vote on the substance of the lateral-pool approach was recorded beyond the adoption of the Rules and Regulations.

Commissioner Dan Maloney proposed an edit to Section 9 of the draft to change the Commission’s review threshold for suspensions from anything over five days to anything over 10 days. Director Hoover said she would update the revised draft to reflect that proposed change before the Rules are forwarded to the Village Board for final approval and public posting.

A motion to repeal the commission’s existing Rules and Regulations and adopt the new Rules and Regulations as of Nov. 13, 2024, was made by Commissioner Judy Serrano and seconded by Commissioner Dan Maloney; a voice vote noted all ayes and the motion carried. According to the meeting minutes, the adopted rules will be submitted to the Village Board for approval and then posted publicly for 10 days before incorporation into the Municipal Code.

Separately, the commission entered executive session at 11:56 a.m. to review executive session minutes and reconvened at 11:58 a.m. After the closed review, the commission voted that executive session minutes from 2021–2023 and all previous executive session minutes remain closed and confidential; that motion carried on a voice vote.

In new business, the commission certified a Lateral Transfer Eligibility List dated Nov. 13, 2024. Commissioner Dan Maloney moved to certify the list; Commissioner Judy Serrano seconded and a voice vote noted all ayes. The commission noted the next meeting will be scheduled in January to review background reports for lateral applicants.

Votes at a glance — motions recorded in the Nov. 13 minutes included approval of the Oct. 2, 2024 general session minutes (voice vote: all ayes); repeal and adoption of the new Rules and Regulations (voice vote: all ayes); entry into and reconvening from executive session to review minutes (voice votes); a motion keeping executive session minutes from 2021–2023 and earlier closed and confidential (voice vote: all ayes); certification of the Lateral Transfer Eligibility List dated Nov. 13, 2024 (voice vote: all ayes); and adjournment at 12:05 p.m. (voice vote: all ayes).

The meeting minutes indicate the Rules adoption is subject to Village Board approval and a 10-day public posting before becoming part of the Municipal Code. The minutes do not include verbatim quotes from speakers; the article reflects the actions and summaries recorded in the official minutes.