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Deputy Chief Austin: Police force at 66 of 67 budgeted, department reports 15 firearms recovered in March
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Summary
Deputy Chief Austin told the Kankakee City Public Safety Committee that the police department is staffing 66 of 67 budgeted officers, recovered 15 firearms in March (10 recovered by K-MAG), and is pursuing candidates for upcoming academy classes while managing overtime tied to staffing and storm response.
Deputy Chief Austin reported to the Kankakee City Public Safety Committee on April 7 that the police department is “currently sitting at 66 officers, budgeted for 67.” He said the department’s ranks include 43 on patrol, eight investigators, a school resource officer and several staff in administration or specialized units.
Austin highlighted recruitment and training milestones: Officer Lucas Bills is in PTI and expected to graduate April 23, and background checks are underway for three candidates who could enter the academy on May 3. "They're pretty much at the end," Austin said of the candidates' hiring steps, while flagging that two officers may leave in the coming months, including one retirement.
The deputy chief also presented operational data for March: the department handled about 5,639 calls, opened roughly 321 cases, made 119 adult arrests and conducted 342 traffic stops that produced 433 citations. He said the department recovered 15 firearms in March and that K-MAG recovered 10. "We recovered 15 firearms and K-MAG recovered 10," Austin said. Committee members pressed for context about where weapons were found; Austin said some recoveries came from traffic stops, including one stop that yielded four guns.
On overtime and costs, Austin said the department logged 270.25 overtime hours from February to March, totaling $18,122.68, and attributed extra pay to staffing shortages, specialized details and storm response. He described competition from other agencies for recruits and said lateral-entry hiring is currently closed while academy slots are reserved for May and August.
Committee members voiced concern about the volume of weapons and public safety implications. "That tells you how dangerous it is out there," said Alderman Ozinga, adding, "I mean, guns everywhere." Austin responded that officers have been proactive in high-crime areas and on traffic enforcement. The committee did not take formal action on the report; Austin asked members to raise any further questions with department staff.
The committee moved next to routine billing and budget items; no new policy actions were adopted from the police report.
