IDNR hiring Conservation Police trainees

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources plans to hire up to 20 Conservation Police officer trainees in 2020, a process that begins with applying online and taking a written exam that will be administered in June.

Although their primary responsibility is enforcement of laws associated with natural resource protection and recreational safety, CPOs have full police authority in the enforcement of all state statutes, are trained police officers and carry guns.

Applicants must be at least 21, have a bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree and 3 consecutive years of experience as a police officer with the same law enforcement agency, and be and willing to locate to any part of the state.

Preference will be given to veterans and current law enforcement personnel, and experience as an outdoor recreationist is helpful, but no experience is required to become a trainee.

The starting salary is around $48,000, with a bump to around $58,000 after the first year, when training is over and the officer becomes certified.

Those interested should go to www.dnr.illinois.gov/LawEnforcement/Pages/ConservationPoliceOfficerCareerOpportunities.aspx for more information about the job and its requirements.

To apply, go to www.illinois.gov/sites/work/Pages/CMS100_help.aspx and complete the CMS100 employment application from, which must be taken to the testing site.

The test will be offered only from June 3 to 6 and June 10 to 13.

The Springfield CMS Testing Center will offer the test from 8 a.m to 2 p.m. and the Chicago center from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The Rockford, Marion and Champaign centers will offer the exam by appointment only.

Veterans can call 217-524-1313 with questions regarding establishing veterans preference status.

Full-time police officers may be eligible to participate in a “fast-track” training process that would waive the 14-week Basic Law Enforcement Academy training.

Contact Lt. Curt Lewis at the IDNR Office of Law Enforcement at 217-785-8407 or curt.lewis@Illinois.gov for more information.