Is Kankakee Safe? Crime Rates & Safety Report

You’re going to be saying the name Kankakee a lot when you visit Kankakee, Illinois, so make sure you say it correctly.

It’s “Kank-uh-KEE.” It is the biggest city in Kankakee County and sits along the Kankakee River.

It’s part of the Kankakee River Valley series of cities that also include Bradley and Bourbonnais (“Bourbon-ayy”).

The river flows right through the heart of the city.

Kankakee is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

In 2020, it made the #25 slot on the highest murder rate in the nation’s list.

There were eight homicides that year and 2021 brought 11 homicides.

That in itself might make you switch travel plans, but we’ve got additional information on what is causing that spike in crime, so don’t leave just yet.

This city was also the place where the murder of two children by the same man led to Illinois adopting a community notification system for sexual offenders.

Timothy Buss had killed a little girl when he was 13, and then came back after serving his jail sentence and killed a little boy.

Kankakee and the surrounding county is, at its heart, a rural community with an array of outdoor attractions.

You can find fun on the river, in the wilderness, and through the city, leaders trying to rebuild a sullied reputation.

One of the oddities of this community is that in Kankakee the annual income is $39,000 and nearly 28% of people live in poverty.

Just five miles north in Bourbonnais, the average income is $77,000 and just 7% of the community is in poverty.

Warnings & Dangers in Kankakee

OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM

There's a medium overall risk here, but the blessing in disguise is that there aren't any hotels in Kankakee. They are all near Bourbonnais, a much safer community.

TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW

The River Valley bus system is the public transportation for the region. There are local routes and a shuttle or Midway International Airport and the Metra train station on the Southside of the Chicago area. You can also get taxis and rideshares, though not as plentiful as in bigger cities. There's a Transit Police Department to keep people on the buses and at bus stops safe, so there's low risk with a lot of caution needed.

PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM

The theft risk is one in 36, which is a medium risk as well. You should really only carry the very basic essentials of what you need when visiting here and don't ever leave a car unlocked or with the windows rolled down.

NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM

Flooding and severe weather that spawns tornadoes are the biggest concerns. You can look on social media and see several funnel clouds caught on camera over the past two decades. The river running through the city also puts it at a higher risk than Bradley or Bourbonnais. Then there's winter weather in the form of snow and ice storms. All this adds up to medium risk.

MUGGING RISK: LOW

The robbery rate is 42% higher than the national average, and with 244 violent crimes, there's a good chance some of those started out as robberies and then escalated, which would mean the worst of the crimes would be the one reported, not all the crimes involved. For what it's worth, this method of tracking crime changed in 2021.

TERRORISM RISK: LOW

There's a low risk here. The Chicago area, being just an hour away, is going to be a much more prominent target for terrorists. Enough people are terrorizing the city who live here anyway.

SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM

There have been several reports of callers and solicitors trying to scam money here. There's a medium risk because some of the scam reports are downright ruthless. In one example, a scammer pretending to be a police officer called a man. He said the man's wife had been in a bad accident and he needed the guy to send him money to help her.

WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW

I would really recommend against a woman visiting here, especially if she's going alone. While there are some safe places to visit we can go through, being out after dark or even being seen in some neighborhoods driving alone could be dangerous. The sexual assault rate is almost four times the national average too.

TAP WATER RISK: LOW

The only low-risk you'll find in Kankakee is tap water. According to the 2021 Annual Water Quality Report, all tests were in full compliance with standards set by the state and the EPA.

Safest Places to Visit in Kankakee

“Visit Kankakee County” is a great website to show the variety of options you explore here.

There are several farms throughout the county, but none in the city of Kankakee.

Check the individual farm listings, as one of the options listed is actually closed for 2022 because the owner got hurt.

Make sure you check the farm of your choice and the seasonal opening dates, as not all of them are open throughout the year.

The B. Hardley Bradley House is open for tours.

This historic home is the design of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

You can also visit Wright’s second masterpiece here at the Warren R. Hockox house.

These are made in a Prairie design.

The French Heritage Museum and Stone Barn is another historic place to check out and reflects the first explorers who came to this region and forever left an imprint on the community.

Wondering if you’re related to someone from here?

You can research your genealogy at the museum too.

If you have a car, you’ll definitely want to do the Barn Quilty scavenger hunt.

This is a great way to road trip off the beaten path and look for a wide artistic variety of quilt designs put onto wood and hung on barns throughout the county.

You can download the Barn Quilt Guide on the tourism website.

There are 50 barn quilts in the search.

I am particularly fond of the one titled “Pursuit of Happiness.”

Let us know your favorite one if you go on this adventure.

There are 57 miles of the Kankakee River in the county and several lakes.

At Haigh Quarry, you can scuba dive and see the fish and artifacts under the surface.

For those who want to keep their heads above water, there are fly-fishing charters and canoe-ride tours to explore as well.

Perry Farm Park is a great place to go throughout the year, but if there are more than four inches of snow on the ground, you can rent ski equipment and head for the hills.

There are caves to explore and a petting zoo for the less adventurous.

Kankakee River State Park covers 4,000 acres of wilderness and camping is an option if you want to “rough it” and become one with nature.

Archery is also big here, so you can test your skill with a bow and arrow.

Places to Avoid in Kankakee

I haven’t even scratched the surface of all the great things to do in Kankakee County, so the safest way to visit here is to plan your excursions ahead of time.

Going with a tour group is a great idea because there’s safety in numbers.

Here’s one frustrating part of researching safe and dangerous parts of cities.

Some other websites show their own crime maps, allegedly reflecting crime data by zip code.

As I research this, I can tell you two sites show the exact opposite information about the most dangerous parts of the community.

Unfortunately, Kankakee doesn’t offer live crime mapping through the police department as many other cities do, so I can’t make my own comparison for you.

The problem with Kankakee isn’t necessarily the lower income or the poverty rate, though that does contribute to gun, gang, and drug violence.

This is a problem of juveniles throughout the community getting out of control.

Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe summed it up like this to a local newspaper, “The law is ill-equipped when dealing with juveniles who commit violent crimes,” Rowe said.

“They can be released after 30 days under juvenile justice law.

Some get picked up again shortly thereafter and after another 30 days they are back out on the street.”

The best advice for “places to avoid” in Kankakee is anywhere you don’t belong.

Stay on the route to the tourist attractions, don’t drive through neighborhoods, report any crimes you see and be a good witness if you are a victim.

Safety Tips for Traveling to Kankakee

So... How Safe Is Kankakee Really?

I’ll be honest – while researching this story I had to actually walk away from the computer for a little bit because the reports of crime in this area were quite disturbing.

One of the crimes in Bradley involved two officers responding to a dog barking in a car at a hotel.

When the officers went to the hotel room, the suspects shot the officers.

One officer was killed with her own service revolver as she begged for her life.

The other officer was critically wounded.

The unfortunate parts of crime in this area are twofold.

One, it has so much potential with all the attractions and amenities.

Two, that juveniles are thought to be the root of the crime here.

The Kankakee mayor told a local newspaper that 147 guns were confiscated in 2021.

That’s a 39% increase since 2019.

The mayor said many of these guns are stolen from (UNLOCKED!!!) cars and homes.

Adding to the problem, Kankakee Police Chief Robin Passwater said that up to 75% of the shootings involve people under 21 years of age.

She estimates about a dozen juveniles are terrorizing the community for simple things such as disliking a post on social media.

“They see something on social media that they don’t like so they go out and shoot at one another,” Passwater said, adding, “They are shooting from cars at houses.

They don’t care who or what they hit.

We see it here, but it is everywhere in this country; there is a sense of lawlessness.”

Passwater is correct.

Illinois has been seeing a surge in gun crime over the past few years that is taking over strong communities like the Kankakee River Valley.

Pew Research Center posted data showing Illinois’ homicide rate was up 35% statewide in 2020.

On top of that, witnesses to crimes can be too scared to come forward or plan to handle it on their own, leaving police helpless to stop further crime.

The Kankakee United project aims to help young men and women learn about neighborhood safety, non-criminal life choices, and building trust in local law enforcement.

Prosecutors want to see stronger laws and rehabilitation so young criminals don’t just get 30 days in jail and then be released.

I know that’s a lot to throw at you when you’re just trying to plan a trip, but I think it’s important to look past the crime numbers and see what’s at the root cause of it.

How Does Kankakee Compare?

Useful Information

Visas

You don't need your Visa to get around the communities of Illinois. You will just need it at the airport when you go through customs.

Currency

You can only use the U.S. Dollar here and you shouldn't carry cash here. If you do need to pull out your wallet for purchase, protect your PIN.

Weather

You'll get all four seasons here and you'll need to dress accordingly. Summers are humid, so you're going to sweat a lot, and please don't forget that bug spray. Winters will need a lot of warm layers. Bring good walking shoes because there are a lot of places to explore.

Airports

You can get a shuttle to Midway International Airport or drive about an hour north to get there. O'Hare International Airport is just under a 90-minute drive, but there is no shuttle from Kankakee.

Travel Insurance

You'll need travel insurance since there are delays that can happen with airlines, shuttles, and road closures are a possibility too.

Kankakee Weather Averages (Temperatures)

Average High/Low Temperature

Illinois - Safety by City