Kankakee police report December staffing, credit technology in shots-fired arrest; council approves $429,087.63 in bills
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Summary
Kankakee City police told the Public Safety Committee on Jan. 6 that staffing is at budgeted strength, technology including ShotSpotter and camera systems helped track a recent shots-fired incident leading to two arrests, and the council approved $429,087.63 in police bills.
Kankakee City’s police chief presented the department’s December activity report at a Public Safety Committee meeting on Jan. 6, saying staffing is at the department’s budgeted level and that technology played a key role in a recent arrest.
The chief told the committee the department is “budgeted for 67” officers and reported 67 officers on the roster, with some assigned to schools, administration and specialty units and a small number on light duty or FMLA. He noted lateral-entry hiring is open and that recent academy graduates are now in field training.
Why it matters: committee members were shown monthly statistics and bills tied to equipment and technology. The committee approved $429,087.63 in police-related bills, a routine budgetary action the committee took by motion and vocal assent.
The chief described operational highlights: “For the month of December, the PD recovered 14 firearms,” and he credited technology when describing a recent shots-fired call. “Our officers responded. We looked on Verkada. That’s how we were able to track the vehicle. We arrested 2 people and recovered 2 firearms,” he said, describing the investigation that led officers to the 200 block of South Rosewood.
Members asked for clarification on how domestic incidents are classified. The chief explained the department’s practice: incidents involving household members are logged as domestic battery, while non-household incidents are recorded as battery. He also proposed an overlay map showing calls by ward and beat so aldermen can see call locations relative to their wards.
The presentation included monthly tallies as printed in the packet: December citations (packet line items read by the chief), calls-for-service by beat, NIBRS submissions to the FBI and part-1 crimes by ward. The chief flagged an in-progress death investigation on the 400 block of South Dearborn and said the department was awaiting the coroner’s report.
The committee moved to approve the police bills after a motion by Alderman Ozinga and a second from Alderman Jones; the chair recorded vocal approval and stated the bills were paid.
What’s next: the department will present its annual report in February with a full year’s figures and the suggested ward/beat overlay to help aldermen visualize call distribution.
