Posted by: Bill Location: Chana, Illinois
Gee, how can this be? Illinois has strict gun control laws. Can it be they are useless? Illinois is one of only two sstates that doesn't allow concealed carry of a weapon. What would happen if the good guys shot back at the bad guys? Take the school shootings; gun free zones for all except the shooters. What would have happened if a legally armed teacher had terminated the problem on the spot. REMEMBER--WHEN SECONDS COUNT, THE POLICE ARE ONLY MINUTES AWAY.

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Posted by: ChgoIrish Location: Rockford
Crime is only ONE reason why nobody wants to live in this city. When my family heard I bought a house here, they cringed. The crime rate is high, the taxes are high, the schools are horrible, there are no decent paying jobs here,car insurance is high because of the crime, people are shot in their own front yards or right thru the walls of their homes! We not only fear going out at night, you have be watchful in broad daylight! Decent people wouldn't live here even if houses were FREE! I grew up in CHICAGO and was never afraid to WALK down my street at any time or sit out front on summer nights. I plan to leave this city as soon as I am financially able. With the downfall of the housing market, I am stuck here.

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Posted by: les Location: mt.morris
beacaues rockford is for loosers moestly its easyer to look the outher way than to fix it

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Posted by: beverly Location: machesney park
the system needs to be harder on the sentences. the criminals are let out in rockford. the police needs to start doing there jobs and not worry about what is gong on with the chief. the police needs to figure out a way to help the crime rate go down. this is getting out of control. people don't need to be killing people. those people need to learn to take there temper on something else whether than violence. bank robbers are the ones that can't get jobs so they just brek the law to survive but it still isn't right to steal. gangs need to break up, what is the point on being in a gang? friends? those people are not your friends, they don't stand behind you if you break the law they run away.so ending this the police needs to help stop the criminals. and have longer sentences.

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Posted by: Ron Location: Machesney Park
Also the crime is worse than reported, I seen a home invasion that was never on news or in paper, also person going to get pizza was hit in head with gun and robbed, but don't report it as it may scare customers or whatever.I think the biggest problem is no punishment, my uncle was murdered, 91 years old, all three involved in shooting him were out of jail in 5 years and just recently the felony bank robbers (barbie) is that what they were called? one just probation the other 2 years, I'm surprised police don't strike, why risk life of arresting someone when all they get is probation anyway.

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Posted by: rick it's just getting worse, wait until summer !!!

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Posted by: Ronnie Location: Rockford
Well thats what Rockford Police like to do best is Patrol... The wrong areas. They are more concerned with prostitution and traffic then the real crime. I live on Montague Street & Central Ave. You rarely ever see the police in our area and our area has the most crime. I mean we had the ice cream man killed less then 2 blocks away, the double murder on island (bar shooting) and then we had the innocent guy get killed just for being in a car accident on central less then 3 blocks from me. Yet... NO POLICE.

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Posted by: WOODY Location: ROCKFORD
our crime rate wouldn't be high if the police would do their job...patrol, patrol, patrol and don't wait 2 hours after the fact.

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Posted by: Ronnie Location: Rockford
Its pathetic! This city is falling apart. Look at West Middle School! These kids are out of control and they will continue to be out of control untill something is done. Its starts with the parents! I was reading the paper today and it said a 15 year old boy pushed the principal and he and his 13 year old sister were arrested. Then the parents on the 15 & 13 year old came to the school going off because there children were arrested as if they did nothing wrong! I would of arrested the parents just for being idiots. The crime rate is going to continue to rise if these parents dont get off there butts and start being parents. These parents dont care what there kids are doing as long as they are out of there hair. I mean how many of you parents out there think that beating up school police officers and pushing principals is ok? If you think that is ok and your children shouldnt be arrested for it then I dont think you should be parents.

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Posted by: Dennis Location: Rockford
Nothing new. 12 years ago I delivered in the Ohare area. I felt safer in Chicago than here in Rockford. I will say I enjoy not beng bothered by the local police no matter what laws I am breaking! Hate going to small towns because whats OK here will get one stoped in any small town like say Roscoe, Rockton, Byron.

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Posted by: ann Location: west side rockford
the crime here is just awful we have lived here only six months ,last week my 19 year old son got beat up in our alley behind our house by 2 guys,one of wich restrained my 12 year old son until they were done checking there pockets and beating the crap out the older one ,then 2 days later the same 2 guys came back forced my same 2 kid at gunpoint into our very own house still at gunpoint robbed our house in front of the kids,were all over our front and back yard and our garage ,they finally left took what they wanted,traumatized the kids,no one saw anything.people around here dont report things,they just let it ok,here my kids are being threatened at gunpoint and threatened to be killed if they call the police and they still did the right thing.if you see anything report it.if everybody would watch out for neibors stuff like this wouldnt happen nearly as often.its just a real shame when you cant leave your teenage kids at home without fearing for there safety.

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Posted by: scott Location: Rockford
I think Rockford may be one the the most backwards cities in the country. The taxes are so high along with the cost of living, yet the quality of life is much lower than any other town that I have ever lived in. People here are rude, shallow and the biggest bunch of know-it-alls I have ever encountered. I'am moving back to Alabama as fast as I can. I always thought that the stereotypes about people from the north were not true, and I have found that they are actually much worse than people from the South think. The crime rate is sad for a town this size. When I moved here I thought that people would be alot more tolerant than the people in the South, I was sadly mistaken. Living here has made me lose faith in the human race! I cant understand why anyone let thier child go to school here. Everyone I know who moved here from Alabama with children has had to move thier children up at least one grade because Rockford schools are so far behind Alabama schools. I'am ashamed to live here!

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Posted by: unmanager Location: rockford
But Chief Chet said crime is DOWN.....

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