Finding a photo of someone who just got booked into the Jerome Combs Detention Center isn't as simple as it used to be. Honestly, the internet makes it look like a free-for-all, but the reality of tracking down Kankakee County jail inmate mugshots is tucked behind a few specific digital gates and some pretty strict Illinois laws. If you've spent more than five minutes clicking through "mugshot aggregator" sites that look like they were built in 2004, you know the frustration. They want your credit card. They want your email. Usually, they don't even have the updated photo you're actually looking for.
Where the photos actually live
You don't need a third-party site. Basically, the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office is the gatekeeper. They run the Jerome Combs Detention Center and the older Kankakee County Detention Center. If someone is picked up in Bourbonnais, Bradley, or Kankakee city, this is where they end up.
The Sheriff's Office maintains an Inmate Search tool that is actually quite reliable, provided the servers aren't down for maintenance.
How to find a mugshot right now:
- Head to the official Kankakee County Sheriff's website.
- Look for the "Inmate Search" icon (it’s usually a little blue person or a badge).
- Type in the last name. Just the last name usually works best to avoid spelling errors.
- If they are currently in custody, you’ll see their booking photo, their charges, and their bond amount.
One thing people get wrong? Thinking every arrest results in a public photo immediately. It takes time to process. If your buddy was picked up an hour ago, he’s probably still in intake. The system doesn't refresh in real-time like a Twitter feed.
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The Jerome Combs Factor
Most people arrested in the county are held at the Jerome Combs Detention Center (JCDC) on South Justice Way. It’s a massive facility. When you look up an inmate, the system will specify if they are in "JCDC."
Why does this matter? Because if the person has already been transferred to a state facility (IDOC), their mugshot disappears from the county search. At that point, you’re looking at the Illinois Department of Corrections "Individual in Custody" search. It’s a different database entirely.
Why some mugshots are missing
Ever notice how some high-profile arrests don't have a photo attached? Or maybe you saw an arrest report but the "mugshot" box is just a gray silhouette? There’s a legal reason for that.
Illinois has been tightening the screws on how law enforcement shares booking photos. Specifically, Public Act 102-0541 and other local regulations have changed the "public" nature of these images. Police departments are now largely restricted from posting mugshots to social media for "petty" offenses or non-violent misdemeanors. The goal was to stop "mugshot shaming" before someone is even convicted.
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- Civil Offenses: Usually no public photo.
- Class B or C Misdemeanors: Often withheld unless there's a public safety risk.
- Active Investigations: If showing the face would compromise a lineup, they’ll lock it down.
The "Mugshot Website" Trap
We’ve all seen them. Sites like Mugshots.com or BustedMugshots. They scrape the Kankakee County database every few hours. They make their money by appearing at the top of Google when you search someone’s name.
Here’s the kicker: It is illegal in Illinois for these sites to charge you a fee to remove a mugshot. If a site tells you they’ll take down your Kankakee County booking photo for $400, they are breaking state law. Don't pay it. Under the Illinois Right of Publicity Act, you have actual teeth to fight this. Usually, a sternly worded letter citing the statute is enough to make them blink, though the "whack-a-mole" nature of the internet makes it hard to scrub them completely.
FOIA and Public Records
If the online search tool is being flaky, you have the right to file a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request.
The Kankakee County Sheriff's Office has a FOIA officer specifically for this. You can email or mail a request asking for the booking record of a specific individual. By law, they have five business days to respond. If you're a journalist or a legal professional, this is the "official" way to get high-resolution copies rather than a grainy screenshot from a website.
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What a FOIA request won't get you:
- Juvenile records (these are strictly sealed in Kankakee).
- Medical records of the inmate.
- Photos from an ongoing undercover investigation.
The "Not Guilty" Problem
Sorta weirdly, even if the State’s Attorney drops the charges tomorrow, that mugshot might stay on the Sheriff’s site until the person is physically released. And once it's on a third-party site, it's there forever unless you take action.
If you or someone you know had charges dismissed, your best bet is expungement. Once a Kankakee County judge signs an expungement order, the Sheriff’s Office is legally required to delete those records. That’s the only way to truly "kill" the digital trail.
Actionable Steps for Finding Records
If you are looking for someone right now, follow this sequence:
- Check the Primary Source: Use the Kankakee County Sheriff Inmate Search.
- Verify the Facility: Ensure they aren't at the Kankakee City Police lockup instead of the County Jail. City police sometimes hold people for a few hours before transferring them to Jerome Combs.
- Use VINE: If the photo isn't showing but you need to know their status, use VINELink. It’s the national victim notification network. It won't show you a mugshot, but it will tell you exactly which bunk they are sitting in.
- Contact the Records Division: Call (815) 802-7100 during business hours if the online tool is glitching.
The system isn't perfect. It's clunky, it's slow, and sometimes it's flat-out wrong. But sticking to the official county channels is the only way to ensure you're getting facts and not falling for a data-scraping scam.
If you need a physical copy of a record for a court case or insurance claim, skip the website entirely and head to the Kankakee County Courthouse at 450 East Court Street. The Circuit Clerk's office keeps the formal case files, which often include the arrest report and related documentation that a simple online search won't show you.
Next Step: If you found the inmate but need to know their next court date or bond status, you should check the Kankakee County Circuit Clerk’s electronic records portal, as the jail roster often lags behind the court's actual docket.