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Correctional Officer

Jerome Combs

Kankakee County Sheriff's Department — Kankakee, IL

Felonious

End of Watch February 27, 1986

Age 24

Tour of Duty 7 mo

The Vigil Panel 130 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice

Incident

Correctional Officer Jerome Combs died as a result of injuries sustained from being kicked by an unruly inmate at the Detention Center. Officer Combs, along with two other Correctional Officers, were struggling with an inmate, attempting to place him in a cell. It was then that the inmate kicked Officer Combs in the chest, killing him. Correctional Officer Combs had served with the Kankakee County Sheriff's Department for only seven months. In 2005, a new county jail was named the Jerome Combs Detention Facility in his honor.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IL-5CBDF9D2
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Correctional Officer Combs served with the Kankakee County Sheriff's Department.
Thank you for your service to the Kankakee community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Correctional Officer Combs.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Kankakee County Sheriff's Department

Type Sheriff's Office

Location Kankakee, Kankakee County, IL

Platform Identity kcso.kankakee.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 27, 1986

Tour of Duty 7 mo

Age 24

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Person

Correctional Officer Jerome Combs is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In IL, 842 of 1,318 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.9% of this state's fallen. That is 63.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Kankakee County Sheriff's Department

of 1 officers

100% Felonious

IL — Statewide

842

of 1,318 officers

63.9% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jerome Combs's cause is highlighted.

Felonious

1 (0%)

Accident

1 (0%)

Illness

1 (0%)

Cardiac

1 (0%)

Undetermined

1 (0%)

Suicide

1 (0%)

How Jerome Combs Compares

Age at Death

This officer

Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

Years of Service

0.6

This officer

Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Jerome Combs is highlighted in Feb.

Jan

1,392

Feb

1,295

Mar

1,373

Apr

1,516

May

1,504

Jun

1,442

Jul

1,587

Aug

1,517

Sep

1,491

Oct

1,371

Nov

1,447

Dec

1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Jerome Combs was killed by person.

Handgun

3,684

Gun

3,592

Gun; Unknown type

1,492

Shotgun

1,109

Rifle

935

Officer's handgun

909

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Kankakee County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.