2007 Crime Rate Comparisons

 RELEASE FROM SHERIFF RICHARD MEYERS: The State of Illinois released it 2007 Crime Rate Comparisons for the State of Illinois to include Winnebago County. It is important to point out that Winnebago County is defined by all eleven (11) municipalities, one of which is the City of Rockford.  There are 64,092 persons in the unincorporated areas of the County that are serviced by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office and this population is treated as one of the eleven municipalities for crime reporting purposes. The Crime Rate decrease from 2007 over 2006 for all of Winnebago County to include its eleven municipalities and the unincorporated areas is down 12.8%.  The Crime Rate comparison sheet for Winnebago County is broken down by each individual municipality to include the Sheriff’s Office.  A culmination of each municipality’s contribution to the increase/decrease of the crime rate resulted in the overall 12.8% reduction.  For example, the Sheriff’s Office showed a decrease in crime of 16.9%.  The city of Rockford showed a decrease of 14.4%, while Durand showed a decrease of 13.5% and so forth. It is important for the community to recognize that not any one municipality can be credited or blamed for either a decrease or increase in crime.  The current trends are nation-wide and can be seen in laws enforcement agencies across the country, each with their own unique crime fighting methods and ideologies.  Fighting crime successfully in our local communities has always depended upon the team work and contributions made by each municipality within jurisdictional or county boundaries. The overall 12.8% decrease in crime is a result of the efforts of all eleven municipalities and is something we can celebrate together.