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Guest Column - April 2023
Addressing crime in our community
City projects focus on prevention and intervention
Whether I’m at a city event, a neighborhood meeting or the grocery store, I’m always asked the same question —what are you doing to address crime in our community? I know it’s a topic that is important to each and every resident of Rockford. Let me be clear, we are tough on crime.
We are also investing heavily in our police department. We have increased our authorized police force to more than 300 officers. We’ve purchased more than 100 license plate readers. We’ve quadrupled the number of cameras in high traffic and high crime areas. We’ve purchased gun detection and social analytics so ware.
However, we know that enforcement alone is not enough. We need to stop the cycle of violence that has plagued our city for decades. We are doing that by implementing prevention and intervention strategies to change lives and reduce crime. Here’s a look at some of our prevention and intervention initiatives:
Family Peace Center
Knowing that approximately 40% of our violent crime is related to domestic violence, we opened the state’s first Family Peace Center for victims of domestic and sexual violence.
Navigators
We worked with Rockford Park District and YMCA to place navigators at after-school recreation sites to help connect youth and their families with support services and resources.
Handle With Care
We collaborated with Rockford Public Schools to create a system that notifies school staff when a student may have been exposed to a traumatic event.
Diversion Program
We implemented a 21-week intervention/diversion program that provides group and individual support to youth and their families.
Human Trafficking Response Team
We established a Human Trafficking Response Team to identify, refer, investigate and prosecute human trafficking in Winnebago County.
Camp Hope
We launched Camp Hope for youth to help them process experiences of being exposed to domestic and/or sexual violence in a trauma-informed way to help with healing and finding hope.
No Entry Program
We launched a five-year initiative to address racial and ethnic disparities and reduce the number of youths entering the justice system.
Re-entry Program
We partnered with Winnebago County to establish a program to identify and deter members of the community who are at a heightened risk of committing future acts of crime and gun violence.
Engaging Men and Boys Project
We were awarded a grant to develop a train-the-trainer program to help staff of youth-serving agencies identify, respond and redirect behaviors, beliefs and actions that may lead to violence against women, girls and marginalized communities and encourage them to be positive mentors to their peers.
Children Exposed to Violence Project
We were awarded a grant to support the establishment of a Community Healing Center, a multiagency, multidisciplinary facility, where children exposed to violence, and their families, can come to receive healing and supportive services that promote trauma recovery, youth development and violence prevention and interventions.
Youth Programs
We supported youth programs, such as Comprehensive Community Solutions, 815 Alive, New Genres Art Space and Boys and Girls Club, to provide youth with positive experiences and outlets, as well as reduce the number of youths entering the criminal justice system.
Workforce Development Program
We partnered with a local minority contractor to hire at-risk young adults to help them gain job skills by building sidewalks in neighborhoods across our community.
We are working hard to fight violent crime every day. However, we know we can’t do it alone. We need every person and every organization to fight for our community together. Please find a way to get involved. Talk to your neighbors. Encourage your employer to join the effort. We can achieve great things when we work together.
The views expressed are those of Mayor McNamara and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.