Staff Report

ROCKFORD – The Rockford Police Department, on Wednesday, released its latest crime statistics and reported that violent crime was down by 21 percent from January through May compared to the same time last year.

In addition, robberies decreased by 16 percent, property crimes were down by 15 percent, aggravated assaults down by 20 percent, shots fired down by 23 percent and auto thefts down by 25 percent. 

The statistics also showed that 54 percent of aggravated assaults were domestic related.

There were nine homicides between January and May of last year. During the same time period in 2019, there were six. There are currently eight homicides in the city, including the fatal shooting that occurred Tuesday morning near SwedishAmerican Hospital.

“We recognize that any amount of violence is too much, but are pleased with the way the community has stepped up to help us take back our city and our safety,” Rockford Police said in a statement on its Facebook page. “We have some 300 officers who patrol a city of approximately 150,000 people, so every citizen who sees something and says something, is vital to our continued success. These statistics are not only a reflection of incredible police work by officers and detectives and our partner agencies, but also of the way in which the community works with us.”

This story has been corrected to clarify the number of homicides in Rockford between January and May 2018 and the number of killings this year as of this report.