Rolling Meadows staff propose continuous police recruitment to reduce vacancies and overtime

Mayor Sanoica convened the Special Committee of the Whole on March 24, 2026, where Police Chief Tony Peluso presented proposed amendments to the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners’ (BOFPC) rules to change how the city hires entry-level police officers.

Chief Peluso said the city currently adheres to Illinois statute 65 ILCS 5/10-2.1 and operates a biennial testing cycle. "Currently, entry level testing processes are completed every two years," he said, describing a system in which candidates must wait for a testing window before they can apply. Under the proposed approach, the department would accept applications continuously, use a testing service to proctor written exams and recorded interviews, require a ride-along and BOFPC interview, and place successful applicants into an eligibility pool where individual candidates could remain eligible for up to two years.

Peluso provided staffing data to underline the need for change: the Rolling Meadows Police Department has an authorized sworn strength of 52 with one vacancy; since 2023 the agency has recorded 14 retirements (2 in 2023, 5 in 2024, 7 in 2025); three 2025 retirements were officers with less than 20 years of service; six current members are eligible to retire; and 24 candidates selected to advance in hiring since 2023 were not ultimately hired for various reasons. He argued the continuous model would "allow for the hire of candidates placing in the top 5%, or in the top five highest rank in the eligibility pool, based on department need," giving the department flexibility to select high-caliber applicants.

Chief Peluso and staff said continuous recruitment could reduce patrol shift shortages that create overtime costs and risk employee fatigue. They also said the approach would reduce repeated background investigations by focusing on the most competitive applicants.

The BOFPC and department staff framed the proposed amendment as a modernization to remain competitive with neighboring agencies that have already adopted continuous hiring practices (the chief cited Lake Forest, Vernon Hills, Hoffman Estates, and Lincolnshire as examples). No formal amendment to the BOFPC rules was adopted at the meeting; the discussion was informational and there were no public commenters signed up on the subject.

Mayor Sanoica closed the meeting after Alderperson O’Brien moved to adjourn and Alderperson Boucher seconded; a voice vote approved adjournment by unanimous consent at 6:57 p.m.

Next steps were not specified during the meeting; the transcript records only discussion and presentation of the proposed rule change and the department staffing data.