Rockford has seen a string of shootings, including seven murders, over the past month. That prompted city officials to demonstrate what they are doing about violent crime.
Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey says despite the recent wave, gun violence was down 22% last year.
“What we are seeing is our combined efforts, working together on things like our violent crime task force, our prisoner reentry efforts…there’s a whole host of community initiatives that are helping us to improve numbers, bring down crime.”
Morrissey was joined by Police Chief Chet Epperson, Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana, and Pastor K. Edward Copeland to talk about their efforts toward making the city safer. Copeland urged the entire community to get involved:
“It’s an ‘us’ problem,” not a ‘them’ problem. It might not be my fault but it IS my responsibility.”
Copeland suggested people get to know their neighbors: they can help stop crimes before they escalate. He also urged anyone with information about the recent shootings to come forward: if they are uncomfortable telling the police, he has a list of local ministers who are willing to listen.