Clarendon Hills' Board of Fire and Police Commissioners will vote Wednesday, July 15, on whether to amend its rules and regulations to allow lateral police officer hires. The meeting is open to the public at 5 p.m. at the Clarendon Hills Police Station Training Room, 448 Park Ave., Clarendon Hills, and includes a public comment period.
A lateral hire program would let the village recruit experienced, already-certified officers from other municipal, county, state, or federal agencies and place them on a separate eligibility list, bypassing the full entry-level testing process. Under Illinois law (65 ILCS 5/10-2.1), age limitations that apply to entry-level applicants do not apply to lateral candidates, provided they hold current certification from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.
The proposal has been building since at least the board's Wednesday, May 20, 2026 meeting, when commissioners discussed creating a lateral hire eligibility list as a new business item. The July 15 agenda advances that discussion to a formal vote on rule amendments, according to the posted agenda.
Mutual aid connection to Hinsdale
Clarendon Hills and Hinsdale share mutual aid responsibilities for both fire and police. Hinsdale Fire Department records show crews responded to Clarendon Hills calls as part of 31 mutual aid responses in June 2023 and 51 in July 2023, the most recent publicly available figures. One of those July 2023 calls was a tactical rescue team deployment for a person who fell into an open basement at a Clarendon Hills construction site.
How Clarendon Hills staffs its police department affects how quickly it can respond to its own calls without requesting backup from neighbors. The agenda does not specify whether the village currently has vacancies it is trying to fill.
What's not public
The agenda does not detail which sections of the rules and regulations would change or describe the proposed amendments beyond the topic heading. The board will also recess into closed session to vote on retaining closed session minutes from the May 20, 2026 meeting, which included discussion of specific employee appointments under the personnel exception to the Open Meetings Act (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1)). The village does not list current commissioner names in its online records.
Residents can request documents related to the board's rules and proposed amendments through an Illinois FOIA request (5 ILCS 140) directed to the Village of Clarendon Hills, 1 N. Prospect Ave., Clarendon Hills, IL 60514, or by calling 630-286-5400.
Hinsdale public safety week ahead
Wednesday, July 15 — Clarendon Hills Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, 5 p.m., Police Station Training Room, 448 Park Ave., Clarendon Hills. Lateral hire rule vote; public comment on the agenda.
Wednesday, July 15 — Hinsdale Police Pension Board, 6:15 p.m., Hinsdale Police Department, 121 Symonds Drive, Hinsdale. Pension fund business.
Wednesday, July 15 — Hinsdale Zoning Board of Appeals, 6:30 p.m., Memorial Hall, 19 E. Chicago Ave., Hinsdale.
Monday, July 21 — Hinsdale Village Board of Trustees, 7 p.m., Memorial Hall, 19 E. Chicago Ave., Hinsdale. First regular board meeting of the month; check the posted agenda for public safety items.
No Hinsdale Police Department community meetings, fire department open houses, or neighborhood watch gatherings were confirmed for the week of July 14–20 in available village records.
