Rockford police offer rewards for tips as they try to crack down on off-road vehicles
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Rockford police say they’re increasing their effort to crack down on drivers who illegally take ATVs and off-road vehicles on public streets. They’ll also now offer rewards to tipsters who help identify perpetrators.
Police said they’ve received 43 complaints so far this month about off-road vehicles buzzing down city streets, sometimes moving in large packs of 20 or more vehicles.
“The blatant disregard to public safety. They have no regards to their own safety, let alone the other individuals that are in vehicles traveling on the street,” Police Chief Carla Redd said during a news conference held Tuesday to announce the new enforcement efforts.
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Off-road vehicles such as ATVs and dirt bikes are not street legal under Illinois law. The city, after hearing numerous complaints from residents two summers ago, approved its own additional regulations in August 2022. Those rules prohibit off-road vehicles from being fueled at a gas station unless secured to a trailer or truck bed. The city also requires owners to register their ATVs and other non-highway vehicles.
Those who break the rules could have their vehicle impounded. So far this year, 11 off-road vehicles have been impounded by Rockford police, Redd said. She didn’t immediately have impound statistics from past years.
In an attempt to curtail the issue, police are offering a $200 reward for tips that lead to an arrest or confiscation of an illegally operated ATV or off-road vehicle. They’ve also designated an additional officer to follow-up on ATV complaints, meaning the city now has two officers investigating the issue.
The tips, city leaders said, are important because it’s difficult and dangerous for officers to try to chase down and arrest ATV drivers or large groups driving down city streets.
“It would be incredibly dangerous and really somewhat foolish for our officers to chase each and every one of those ATVs,” Mayor Tom McNamara said. “It’s dangerous for our officers. It’s dangerous for bystanders. It’s dangerous for pedestrians. It’s also dangerous for those individuals who are riding ATVs.”
Without chasing the drivers, police rely on tips and follow-up investigation to impound vehicles, issue citations or make an arrest.
“We have cameras across the city. We have residents that are great that will call them in. We have officers out there with radios that will radio to one another in regards to the direction that we’ve seen them going,” Redd said. “They’ve got to stop at some point, and it would be ideal if we’re right there when they do make it to their residence.”
Rockford police traffic stops
| 2023 YTD | 2024 YTD | |
| Citations | 4,383 | 6,305 |
| Warnings | 916 | 2,456 |
McNamara said the focus on ATVs is part of the city’s larger response to residents’ calls for more traffic enforcement. He said residents often raised concern about motorists and called for extra traffic detail during a series of public safety town hall meetings this year.
So far this year, police have issued about 6,300 traffic tickets, which is a 44% increase from this point a year ago. There has also been a 168% increase in the number of warnings issued.
“We’re just continuing to ratchet up the work we do to help make sure our streets are safe,” McNamara said.
McNamara said efforts to curtail illegal driving of ATVs have been discussed by city leaders across the state at Illinois Municipal League meetings.
“Numerous mayors, especially mayors of 60,000 and above populations, are all dealing with ATVs, off-road vehicles on public right-of-ways,” he said. “This is not just a solely Rockford issue.”
A technological reinforcement for Rockford police’s traffic details is coming next week.
Redd said installation starts next week on new dash-mounted radar systems that will be installed at the front and rear of all squad cars. Those systems were previously only in traffic squad cars. Redd expects the new systems, which allow officers to measure speed from a moving police car, will likely lead to further increases in citations and warnings.
Send in a tip
The Rockford Police Department is offering a $200 reward for tips that lead to an arrest or confiscation of ATVs or off-road vehicles that were operated illegally on public roadways.
- Text a tip by texting RPDTIP and the information to 847411.
- Send a tip online by going HERE
- For emergencies, call 911. For non-emergencies, call 815-966-2900
- Send a tip through the Tip 411 app
Register your ATV
Rockford City Council approved new regulations and a mandatory registration for ATVs in August 2022. You can register your ATV for no cost by going HERE.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
