Secretary of State Police

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Mission  |  Recruitment  |  Laws  |  Safety/Child Restraints  |  Enforcement  |  Financial Responsibility  |  Registration Plates  |  Traffic Crashes & Highway Breakdowns

Mission

What is the Mission of the Illinois Secretary of State Police?
The primary mission of the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Police is the regulation of businesses involved in the sale of motor vehicles and vehicle parts through the enforcement of the Illinois Motor Vehicle statutes and the Secretary of State Administrative Rules and Regulations. The purpose of this regulatory function is the protection of the consumer against fraudulent motor vehicle transactions throughout the State of Illinois.

A secondary mission of the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Police is to provide law enforcement services to all Secretary of State facilities and the Capitol Complex.

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Recruitment

How do I become a Secretary of State Police Investigator or Investigator -Trainee?
You can request an application from the Secretary of State, Department of Personnel for the position title of Investigator or Investigator - Trainee. You may contact the Department of Police at 217/785-1300 to obtain an employment application.

Submit the completed application to the Department of Personnel.

Your application will remain on file for a period of one year from the date it is received by the Department of Personnel. If during that time the Department of Police begins the hiring process, you will be notified as to when and where you can take the written exam.

What are the requirements?
The position of Investigator requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to completion of high school and 60 semester hours of college credit preferably with coursework in law enforcement, criminal justice, law, government or related field AND EITHER (1) the successful completion of the Secretary of State Investigator Trainee program OR (2) the completion of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Basic Training Program OR (3) a waiver from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board for Basic Training. Experience as a professional in municipal, county or state law enforcement may be substituted for the college credit on a year for year basis.

Is college education required?
Yes, 60 semester hours of college credit preferably with coursework in law enforcement, criminal justice, law, government or related field is required. Experience as a professional in municipal, county or state law enforcement may be substituted for the college credit on a year for year basis.

I am already a police officer, Do I need to attend the Basic Training Academy again?
If you are hired as an Investigator, you will not be required to attend the Basic Training Academy again.

How do I apply?
You may contact the Secretary of State, Department of Police in Springfield at 217/785-1300 to obtain an employment application.

Complete the application and submit it to either:

Secretary of State, Department of Personnel
Michael J. Howlett Bldg.
501 S. 2nd St., Rm 196
Springfield, IL 62756

or

Secretary of State, Department of Personnel
17 N. State St., Suite 1276
Chicago, IL 60602

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Laws

Can Illinois Laws be found on the Internet?
Yes, Illinois laws can be found on the internet.

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Safety Belts/Child Restraints

What is the Illinois safety belt law?
With exceptions, each driver and front seat passenger of a motor vehicle operated on a street or highway shall wear a properly adjusted and fastened seat safety belt. If the driver is under the age of 18, every passenger under the age of 19 must be properly secured. A child less than 8 years of age shall be protected by the Child Passenger Protection Act. For safety, motorists and passengers should always wear their safety belts.

What is the Child Passenger Protection Act?

Children under the age of 8 years must be secured in an appropriate child restraint system, more commonly called a child safety seat. Child safety seats include infant seats, convertible seats (rear-facing for infants and forward-facing for toddlers) and booster seats that are used with the vehicle lap and shoulder belt system.

Children and young people ages 8 years to under 16 years must be secured in a properly adjusted safety belt in any position in the vehicle.

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Enforcement

What is the law in Illinois regarding tinted windows?

625 ILCS 5/12-503. Windshields must be unobstructed and equipped with wipers.
(a) No person shall drive a motor vehicle with any sign, poster, window application, reflective material, nonreflective material or tinted film upon the front windshield, sidewings or side windows immediately adjacent to each side of the driver. A nonreflective tinted film may be used along the uppermost portion of the windshield if such material does not extend more than 6 inches down from the top of the windshield. Nothing in this Section shall create a cause of action on behalf of a buyer against a dealer or manufacturer who sells a motor vehicle with a window which is in violation of this Section.

(b) Nothing contained in this Section shall prohibit the use of nonreflective, smoked or tinted glass, nonreflective film, perforated window screen or other decorative window application on windows to the rear of the driver's seat, except that any motor vehicle with a window to the rear of the driver's seat treated in this manner shall be equipped with a side mirror on each side of the motor vehicle which are in conformance with Section 12-502.

(c) No person shall drive a motor vehicle with any objects placed or suspended between the driver and the front windshield, rear window, side wings or side windows immediately adjacent to each side of the driver which materially obstructs the driver's view.

(d) Every motor vehicle, except motorcycles, shall be equipped with a device, controlled by the driver, for cleaning rain, snow, moisture or other obstructions from the windshield; and no person shall drive a motor vehicle with snow, ice, moisture or other material on any of the windows or mirrors, which materially obstructs the driver's clear view of the highway.

(e) No person shall drive a motor vehicle when the windshield, side or rear windows are in such defective condition or repair as to materially impair the driver's view to the front, side or rear. A vehicle equipped with a side mirror on each side of the vehicle which are in conformance with Section 12-502 will be deemed to be in compliance in the event the rear window of the vehicle is materially obscured.

(f) Paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section shall not apply to:

(1) Motor vehicles manufactured prior to January 1, 1982; or (2) To those motor vehicles properly registered in another jurisdiction.

(g) Paragraph (a) of this Section shall not apply to any motor vehicle:

(1) that is owned and operated by a person afflicted with or suffering from a medical illness, ailment or disease which would require that person to be shielded from the direct rays of the sun; or

(2) that is used in transporting a person when such person resides at the same address as the registered owner of the vehicle and such person is afflicted with or suffering from a medical illness, ailment or disease which would require such person to be shielded from the direct rays of the sun.

It must be certified by a physician licensed to practice medicine in Illinois that such person owning and operating or being transported in a motor vehicle is afflicted with or suffers from such illness, ailment, or disease and such certification must be carried in the motor vehicle at all times. The certification shall be legible and shall contain the date of issuance, the name, address and signature of the attending physician, and the name, address, and medical condition of the person requiring exemption. The information on the certificate must remain current and shall be renewed annually by the attending physician.

(h) Paragraph (a) of this Section shall not apply to motor vehicle stickers or other certificates issued by State or local authorities which are required to be displayed upon motor vehicle windows to evidence compliance with requirements concerning motor vehicles.

(i) Those motor vehicles exempted under paragraph (f)(1) of this Section shall not cause their windows to be treated as described in paragraph (a) after January 1, 1993.

(j) A person found guilty of violating paragraphs (a), (b), or (i) of this Section shall be guilty of a petty offense and fined no less than $50 nor more than $500, a second or subsequent violation of paragraphs (a), (b), or (i) of this Section shall be treated as a Class C misdemeanor and fined no less than $100 nor more than $500. Any person convicted under paragraphs (a), (b), or (i) of this Section shall be ordered to alter any nonconforming windows into compliance with this Section.

Is the front registration plate required on vehicles registered in Illinois?
Yes, the front registration plate is required on vehicles registered in Illinois. Both registration plates are required to be attached on vehicles registered in Illinois.

Is it legal to use a cellular phone and drive in Illinois?
It is legal to use a cellular phone while driving a vehicle in Illinois. A person under the age of 18 who holds an instruction permit, or a person under the age of 18 who holds a graduated license may not drive a vehicle while using a wireless phone, unless the phone is used to contact emergency services. From public act 94-0240

What is the law with regards to pass a stopped school bus in Illinois?
The driver of a vehicle shall stop such vehicle before meeting or overtaking, from either direction, any school bus stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging pupils on a highway or upon a private road. Such stop is required before reaching the school bus when the school bus when there is in operation on the school bus visual signals. The driver of the vehicle shall not proceed until the school bus resumes motion or the driver of the vehicle is signaled by the school bus driver to proceed or the visual signals are no longer activated.

Where does a speed limit begin in Illinois?
The speed limit begins at the speed limit sign. Not when you see the sign.

What is a school speed zone in Illinois?
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 625 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes, Act 5, Chapter 11, Section 605. The title of the section is "Special speed limit while passing schools and while traveling through highway construction zones"

(a) On a school day when children are present and so close thereto that a potential hazard exists because of the close proximity of the motorized traffic, no person shall drive a motor vehicle at a speed in excess of 20 miles per hour while passing a school zone or while traveling upon any public thoroughfare where children pass going to and from school.

The following is an Opinion of the Attorney General's Office (Number S-706):
This paragraph limits vehicle speed to 20 miles per hour only during school days while the vehicle is passing a school zone or is traveling on a street on or across which children pass going to or from school, and then only when children are physically present on such street or are outside the school building in a school zone. The 20 mile speed limit is not in effect when the children are inside the school building even though school is in session.

Who has the right-of-way at a four way stop in Illinois?
When 2 vehicles approach or enter an intersection from different roadways at approximately the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left must yield the right-of way to the vehicle on the right. (625 ILCS 5/11-901)

What are the disclosure laws regarding a "Rebuilt" vehicle in Illinois?
Licensed dealers in Illinois must disclose to a purchaser of a vehicle if the vehicle is a "REBUILT" vehicle. A rebuilt vehicle is a vehicle that was involved in a flood or was a salvage vehicle. Dealers do not have to disclose that the vehicle was involved in an accident.

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Financial Responsibility

Am I required to have automobile insurance when I drive in Illinois?
Yes. No person shall operate, register or maintain registration of, and no owner shall permit another person to operate, register or maintain registration or, a motor vehicle designed to be used on a public highway unless the motor vehicle is covered by a liability insurance policy. (625 ILCS 5/7-601)

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Registration Plates

I sold my vehicle and I left my Illinois registration plates on the vehicle. What should I do??
If you would like to revoke you registration plates, you must submit a written letter requesting the revocation. The letter must include the following information:

1. Vehicle license plate number to be revoked
2. Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
3. Owner(s) complete legal mailing address (Name, Street, City, and Zip Code)
4. Valid reason for revocation
5. Owner(s) drivers license number(s) and date(s) of birth
6. Owner(s) day time phone number
7. Owner(s) name(s) printed and written signature(s)

The letter may be faxed to 217/782-2896 or mailed to:
Secretary of State Police
Registration Revocation
110 E Adams
Springfield, IL 62701

A copy of the Letter of Revocation will be mailed to the owner(s) verifying revocation. Revocation will not remove owner(s) name and/or address from the Registration File.There is no fee for this service.

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Traffic Crashes & Highway Breakdowns

What do I do if I breakdown on the highway?

1. Pull well off the roadway
2. Activate your emergency flashers
3. Raise your hood
4. Stay with your vehicle and keep your safety belt on
5. Lock your doors

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