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Kankakee Public Safety Committee hears police and fire monthly reports; aldermen approve department bills
Summary
At its Jan. 7 meeting, the Kankakee City Public Safety Committee received December reports from the police and fire chiefs, approved department bills, and heard a resident raise ongoing drug‑activity concerns on South 3rd Street.
Kankakee City’s Public Safety Committee on Jan. 7 received monthly reports from the police and fire departments, approved each department’s bills for December, and heard a resident raise repeated drug‑activity complaints on the 800 and 700 blocks of South 3rd Street.
Police Chief Keith Kidwell told the committee the department was staffed at 67 officers at the start of the week and would drop to 66 after nine retirements that week, with 39 assigned to patrol and nine in investigations. He reported the department recovered 10 firearms in December and said a related unit recovered nine more, for a combined total of 19. Kidwell said the department has about 175 automatic license‑plate reader (LPR) devices tied into its system and that training and reimbursable overtime contributed to higher overtime costs.
Kidwell said overtime for the police during the pay period totaled 438 hours, costing $27,485.15, and that some overtime costs were reimbursable by task forces or training programs. The committee approved police bills for December totaling $78,152.40 by roll call.
Fire Chief Keith LaRoche told the committee the fire department’s payroll lists 49 sworn positions, with 45 firefighters currently active and the remainder on administrative leave, workers’ compensation or in training. LaRoche said the department responded to 710 calls in December, including 439 medical calls, and that 2024 was the busiest year on record with 7,848 total calls. He said the department recorded three suspected overdoses in December and 74 suspected overdoses in Kankakee for the year; countywide there were 14 suspected overdose fatalities in 2024.
LaRoche reported vehicle and equipment repair costs during December, including an $88,000 repair to an aerial tower, and said the department’s December bills totaled $83,896.00. The committee approved the fire bills by roll call.
During public comment, a resident identified as Anita described ongoing drug activity she said has concentrated at multiple addresses on South 3rd Street. Anita said, “there’s definitely 3 addresses — 805, 817, and 836 — and sometimes there’s 35 people standing around in the yard,” and told the committee vehicle congestion and loitering on the block have increased over recent months. Alderman Nia later noted the correct address for one of the properties is 815 South 3rd.
Kidwell responded that officers would look into the complaints and asked that neighbors continue to call dispatch when they observe suspicious activity so police can respond with timely reports. The committee did not move into an executive session and adjourned at the end of the meeting.
Votes at a glance - Motion to approve Police Department bills for December, $78,152.40 — approved by roll call (ayes recorded). - Motion to approve Fire Department bills for December, $83,896.00 — approved by roll call (ayes recorded).
