Juvenile Officer Refresher

Registration Deadline: August 17, 2026 

This course has been approved by ILETSB for the following mandates: 

Civil Rights - .50
Constitutional Use of LE Authority – 2.0
Cultural Competency – 1.50
Human Rights – 1.0
Legal Updates – 4.0
Procedural Justice – 3.50
Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect – 1.50
Lead Homicide Investigator – 11.0
SRO Juvenile Law – 7.50
SRO Officer and Youth Interaction – 8.50

PURPOSE OF COURSE:
            This 2-day training program is a practically oriented training course designed for an experienced, certified, Juvenile Police Officer as defined by the Illinois Juvenile Court Act.  It addresses the significant and problematic, substantive and procedural juvenile law issues, investigations and custody concerns of the abused, neglected, minor requiring authoritative intervention and delinquent minor.  This continuing education course will overview many different aspects of police-juvenile encounters with the emphasis of new ways to communicate with minors.  Investigations of social media and computer interactions and crimes.  Review the investigation procedures and protocols referencing sex and abuse crimes committed against minors.  Review, discuss and update the Illinois Juvenile Court Act in reference to the abused, neglected, minors requiring authoritative intervention and delinquent minor. Review of best practices and case law pertaining to the juvenile delinquent.   

COURSE DESCRIPTION:    
            This course has been designed to provide all peace officers, with specific direction to the experienced and certified Illinois Juvenile Police Officer with a review concerning the custody of the juvenile delinquent; review of the updates with Chapter 705; Act 405, Juvenile Court Act.   Topics to be addressed include the following:

•    Communication skills with minors, including minors identified in a special spectrum. 
•    Investigations of computer and social media crime involving minors.
•    Review the investigation standards, procedures and protocols of sex and physical abuse crimes against a minor.  
•    Juvenile rights and protections in the juvenile justice system, emphasis on latest interviews and interrogations of delinquent minors
•    Revisions of Chapter 705; Act 405. Juvenile Court Act of 1987
•    Law Enforcement responsibilities
•    Review of the requirements with juvenile delinquents in custody
•    Latest trends and dispositions pertaining to the status offender and delinquent minor in the use of ordinance citations, station adjustments and court referrals. 

COURSE GOALS:    
            The goals of this course are to provide participants with a detailed study of the Juvenile Court Act, Illinois Chapter 705, including:

•    Review with experienced juvenile police officers the common complications experienced by minors, recognizing the signs of such hardships and an overview of proper response techniques within the criminal justice community.   
•    Develop and enhance officers’ ability to recognize different levels of communication among adolescents.  
•    Provide officers with tools to effectively listen and respond, ways that adolescents communicate, including verbally, non-verbally and through technology. 
•    The course will examine the rights of children and when crimes against children are committed. 
•    To provide an overview to officers of the elements of child abuse, recognition of signs of abuse, and investigation strategies.  
•    Familiarizes officers with the investigative use of electronic communication sources and social media platforms. 
•    Participants will explore the processes, tools, and legal considerations involved in digital evidence preservation, consent searches, exigent requests, and working with service providers to obtain critical information for juvenile-related investigations.  
•    Discussions will include the revisions in the Juvenile Court Act pertaining to the age and custody requirements of the juvenile delinquent, definitions and restrictions with record retention and sharing, new crime trends involving juveniles.  
•    Reviewing the rights of a juvenile during a law enforcement interview or interrogation.   A review of the Illinois’ court decisions pertaining to the custody of juvenile delinquents.  Procedural and substantive legal issues pertaining to the requirements of conducting interviews and interrogations of juvenile delinquents, 
o    Video confessions of juvenile delinquents
o    Rights to counsel requirements for certain offenses and ages
o    Preventing coercion; self-incrimination  
•    A comprehensive examination of rights of a juvenile and protections for crimes against children as outlined in the Illinois Juvenile Court Act, Chapter 705, the Illinois Constitution, and Illinois Detention law, 
•    A detailed examination of the recent revisions enacted to the Illinois Compiled Statutes Chapter 705
•    A clear understanding of the elements and provisions of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act
o    Minors requiring authoritative intervention
    Electronic dissemination of indecent depictions 
o    New record keeping and sharing requirements
o    Station Adjustments use and best practices
o    Review the definition of the Delinquent Minor 
o    New detention requirements of juvenile delinquents
•    Procedural and substantive legal issues pertaining to the requirements of conducting interviews and interrogations of juvenile delinquents, 
o    Video confessions of juvenile delinquents
o    Rights to counsel requirements for certain offenses and ages
o    Preventing coercion; self-incrimination  
•    A clear understanding of the responsibilities of the police officer and the juvenile officer, to assure the rights of a juvenile are being adhered too and requirements are being followed
•    An understanding of recent Court decisions affecting the implementation of the Juvenile Court Act 
o    The courts consideration of the “totality of the circumstances” 

COURSE PREREQUISITES:    
This course will be offered to a sworn, certified law enforcement, sheriff's and public safety officers who are required by their jobs to work with abused, neglected, delinquent minors, minors in need of supervision and/or other classes of juvenile offenders.  The course will build on the previous learning and personal experiences of the experienced Juvenile Police Officer in order to provide them with a higher level of training and discussion related to the Illinois Juvenile Court Act.

There are two sets of prerequisites for this course, the first affecting the sponsoring agency, the second affecting the student participant:

1.    Agency:  Only Chiefs, Sheriffs, and Public Safety Directors, or their designated representatives, may enroll student officers.  Officers will NOT be allowed to enroll themselves.
2.    Student Participants:  Only personnel who are currently employed by a unit of local government in a sworn or non-sworn be permitted to attend this program.  Full-time personnel from railroad, state or federal agencies not under the jurisdiction of the ILETSB may make application to attend this program.

METHODS OF EVALUATION:    
Students will be required to demonstrate knowledge of all course materials.  Additionally, the instructor will evaluate students’ comprehension and retention of course topics based on their participation in practical exercises/scenarios and discussions conducted during the course.  Evaluation forms completed by each student will provide feedback to NITAB on the quality of the course content and the instructor’s effectiveness in delivering this content. 

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:    
This course is conducted using the following methods of instruction:
o    In-class review of student handout materials
o    In-class lecture
o    In-class practical exercises and discussion
o    In-class evaluations, both written and verbal, of the participant's performance
 

COURSE REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY:
    Required Readings:      All handouts, case studies and other materials

    Recommended Reading:    

o    Illinois Compiled Statutes, Chapter 705, and relevant federal statutes
o    Case decisions of the United States Supreme Court, the Illinois Supreme Court, Illinois District Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, Illinois Attorney General's opinions and various legal digests and treatises.
o    Abused and Neglected Minors Act

COURSE REQUIREMENTS/GRADING POLICY:    
There are no specific requirements or grading policies for this course.

RECOMMENDED INSTRUCTIONAL AIDS:    
The instructor uses handout materials, a multi-media projector, lap top computer, screen or monitor, chalk or white board, chalk or dry-erase markers, and an eraser when conducting this course.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:    
This 16-hour presentation does mandate the 10% rule associated with state certified programs.  It is strongly suggested, however, that students be in attendance for the entire session in order to maximize upon the knowledge and skill development associated with this training.  Should a temporary absence from the class be necessary, it remains the responsibility of the student to contact the instructor and arrange to obtain any information or materials missed due to the absence.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
NITAB supports a strict policy on academic integrity. Students are responsible for their own work, including the preparation of research papers, case study reports and the taking of pre and post examinations.  Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in a failing grade.

RECOMMENDED INSTRUCTIOAL AIDS:    
Handout materials, multi-media projector, lap top computer, screen, DVD, monitor, chalk or white board, chalk or dry-erase markers, and an eraser.  
 

THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC MEETING