Kankakee resident urges change to search policy after personal incident

At the Aug. 5 meeting of the Kankakee Public Safety Committee, resident Carl Aldrich told the committee he was searched by two female officers in January 2023 and asked that the department add a sentence to its search policy asking whether a person prefers a male or female officer to conduct a search. Aldrich said the incident occurred between Jan. 1 and Jan. 10, 2023, when two female officers escorted him to his home on a search order of protection. He said officers removed his weapons and searched him; he told the committee he holds a concealed-carry license. “They searched me. They didn't tell me they were gonna search me,” Aldrich said. He told the committee the search left him feeling “violated” though he added the officers were “very polite.” Aldrich said the protection order later went to trial and he said the judge found he had done nothing wrong; he said he was subsequently allowed to return home. He asked the committee to add “a simple sentence” to the literature and policy packet so officers will ask a person whether they want a male or female officer to conduct a search. Committee members said the policy packet provided by the chief (distributed at the meeting) should be read and that residents or aldermen could call with questions. There was no motion or formal action to change the department’s search policy at the meeting; the request was recorded under public comment. The committee did not take a vote or direct staff to draft policy language during the meeting. The submission and Aldrich’s remarks were entered into the public record during the meeting’s public-comment period.