Latest Rockford crime data shows drop in violent crime, spike in property crimes

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Violent crime in Rockford has fallen 2% through the first seven months of the year, according to data released Friday by the city.

The total number of gunshots fired also fell, by 7%, and aggravated assaults are down 3%.

“Those percentages aren’t massive, but they’re finally moving in the right direction,” Mayor Tom McNamara said Friday at City Hall during a multi-topic news conference. “Now the goal is to continue the work that we’ve done, double down on the enforcement and double down on the intervention and prevention.”

That stats released Friday show the number of violent crimes committed in Rockford during May and June were roughly the same this year as 2021. But those numbers fell 25% in July. In total, there have been 1,273 reported violent crimes in the city compared to 1,302 a year ago.

“Our stats are still not acceptable,” McNamara said. “No one on our team believes it is, but there are some promising signs that the work that we’ve put in, both from the enforcement aspect as well as the intervention and prevention aspect, is beginning to pay off.

“Beginning being the key word.”

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Some of the measures the city has taken include increasing the number of authorized officers, adding technology such as gunshot detectors and license-plate readers and focusing on youth prevention and intervention after a traumatic experience, McNamara said.

While the latest data showed a drop in violent crime, there was a 12% increase in property crimes. There is also a 10% spike in robberies and a massive 81% increase in auto thefts.

The surge in auto thefts is largely attributed to the issue with certain Kia and Hyundai models that can be started without a key. Videos showing how to steal such cars went viral on social media.

There have been 11 homicides so far this year, five fewer than this point last year, according to Rockford police. There were 24 homicides in all of 2021 and 36 in all of 2020, when the city experienced a record high number of killings.

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Domestic violence, one of the mayor’s biggest focal points, accounts for roughly 36% of all violent crime committed so far this year. That number is down from 41% in 2021 through the first seven months of the year.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.