The city of Chicago has been ordered in by a court to hire hundreds for firefighter jobs in Illinois.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled in favor of a class of over 6,000 qualified African-American firefighter applicants who were unfairly denied the opportunity to work for the Chicago Fire Department. Last Spring, after over a decade of litigation, the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) and co-counsel won a unanimous victory for the African-American firefighter applicants in the Supreme Court.

The Court of Appeals’ decision today, also unanimous, decisively rejected Chicago’s attempt to evade that Supreme Court ruling. Chicago must now hire those workers for Chicago firefighter jobs.
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The city of Chicago has awarded a big contract to a third party to administer tests for entry-level law enforcement jobs in Chicago.

CPS Human Resource Services (CPS) has been awarded a contract from the City of Chicago, Illinois to administer a written exam for entry-level police officers. The City estimates up to 30,000 people may test for roughly 2000 positions, which are the result of a two-year hiring slowdown. The exam is expected to be held on December 11, 2010 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

“We are committed to meeting the highest professional standards of quality and test integrity”

“We are committed to meeting the highest professional standards of quality and test integrity,” said Jerry Greenwell, chief executive officer of CPS. “We were awarded this project because of our expertise and successful track record in large scale exam administrations. Our team members have been selected for their relevant experience and professional maturity in dealing with project environments such as this.”

CPS will also coordinate and conduct military or medical accommodations for any eligible applicants on leave and coordinate and plan future military make-up exams.

CPS is a self-supporting public agency providing a full range of human resource services to the public and nonprofit sectors. We have unique expertise in delivering HR management and consulting services, employment testing, assessment services, and applicant tracking software to government agencies throughout North America. We assist organizations across the talent management continuum in recruiting, selecting, and developing employees. www.cps.ca.gov

The Thomson prison facility has announced they are moving forward with plans to begin hiring for law enforcement jobs in Illinois.

Obama plans to hold Guantanamo detaineers in the facility and the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Prisons needs staff to assist with the new prisoners.

The Bureau of Prisons wants to secure the facility this year, and appraisals of the property are underway. But the likelihood that it will be ever occupied remains dim.
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A bill on Governor Pat Quinn’s desk could generate enough money to save Illinois law enforcement jobs.

According to Representative Jim Sacia, the bill would allow Illinois State Police to get a portion of fines assessed when someone pleads guilty and pays a traffic ticket written by their troopers.

Currently, 44% of the fine you pay goes to the county or municipality in which the ticket is issued. Out of the remaining 56%, an administrative fee is paid to the Circuit Clerk. ISP does not get any of that money. The bill would make sure ISP gets a portion equal to the amount the Circuit Clerk is getting.

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Under a new proposed budget, hundreds of Illinois law enforcement jobs could be eliminated within the next year.

According to KMOX.com, hundreds of state troopers would lose their jobs under the proposed budget for Illinois’ new fiscal year, which begins in July.

Jonathon Monken, acting director of the state police, told an Illinois House appropriations committee Monday he cannot achieve a 14 percent budget cut through attrition alone.

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