Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara

Touting an expanded approach of “traditional enforcement” and “intervention and prevention,” Rockford leaders held a Public Safety town hall meeting to discuss the city’s efforts in fighting and reducing crime. 

Mayor Tom McNamara, Police Chief Carla Redd and Jennifer Cacciapaglia, director of the Mayor’s Office of Domestic and Community Violence Prevention, conducted the May 22 session at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, which was open to the public and concluded with a question-and-answer session. 

McNamara said he’s committed to enhancing the city’s crime-fighting efforts through a combination of conventional policing and programs aimed at proactively curbing crime.  

“We have historically done a lot of the enforcement aspect, which is needed, but we have also, historically, been plagued by violent crime,” he said. 

According to the December Rockstat report, violent crimes were down 20 percent from January to December 2023, shots fired showed a 31-percent reduction while robbery and aggravated assaults also showed a downward trend during 2023. 

There was a slight increase in property crimes and auto thefts, while violent crime that was domestic-related increased by almost 6 percent. 

McNamara said the city has added more tools and investments to combat crime. 

“My administration and our City Council have increased our Police Department budget by more than 40 percent since I became mayor,” he said. “This has allowed us to increase our authorized police force to include more than 300 officers, more than we’ve had in 15-20 years. We have also invested heavily in technology. We have purchased more than 150 mobile and stationary license plate readers throughout our community and have more than quadrupled the number of cameras in high-traffic and high-crime areas.” 

Rockford police have also used social analytic software and gunshot detection software in law enforcement.  

“We are trying to leverage technology and the resources our officers need to do their jobs efficiently, effectively and safely for them and for our community.” 

But intervention and prevention programs to fight crime in Rockford are also crucial.  

“In our community, about 50 of all violence is domestic violence related,” McNamara said. 

“When we look at the youth we are arresting for violent offenses, between 2016 and 2022, 60-75 percent of these young people grew up in a household where there was physical or sexual violence. So, we know that domestic violence is the root cause of much of the violence that plagues our city.” 

A handout outlined 25 different community programs aimed at violence intervention and prevention

Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd

for preschool children through adults.  

“One of our primary objectives is to create an environment where survivors feel safe and comfortable reaching out to Chief Redd and other people in the system who can provide domestic violence survivors with those services and the help they need,” Cacciapaglia said. 

She highlighted the Rockford Family Peace Center as one organization that offers a complete response to those in domestic violence situations.  

“Any survivor of domestic violence and his or her children can walk into the building and get wrap-around services for everybody who lives in that home,” Cacciapaglia said. 

“Since opening the Rockford Family Peace Center in July of 2020, we have helped over 1,900 clients receive legal services, law enforcement assistance, childcare and therapy,” she said.  

“One of the most important things to note is that 440 of those clients we helped are children. If we are going to get in front of the cycles of violence, interrupt them and make a difference, we have to get to these kids as young as possible.” 

Among questions raised at the session was how community members can help law enforcement curb crime in their neighborhoods. 

“When I speak at meetings like this one, I tell residents that if five people hear glass break or a gunshot, err on the side of caution and call it into the police,” Redd said. “If you rely on others to report a possible crime, it may not get reported at all.” 

McNamara encouraged residents to use the tip411 app. “By searching tip411 Rockford Police Department in the app store, you can download this free app and send in videos, pictures and texts to the Rockford Police Department anonymously,” he said. 

 Redd’s message of ‘if you see something, say something’ goes a long way in keeping neighborhoods safe and protected. “Solving crime is like putting pieces of a puzzle together,”  

“We need people to call in with whatever information they have,” Redd said. “That’s what our officers and detectives work off of: tips from the community.”