City offers $200 reward to catch reckless ATV, dirt bike riders in Rockford

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — In an effort to address illegal ATVs and dirt bikes causing a nuisance on city streets, the City of Rockford will offer a $200 reward to anyone who calls in a tip that leads to a citation or confiscation.

“This past weekend, I had the opportunity to see some of these ATVs on the streets. It was not a pleasant experience. The blatant disregard for public safety, they had no regard for their own safety let alone the other individuals that are in vehicles, traveling along public streets,” said Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd.

Rockford Mayor McNamara cited a recent example in which 20 riders in a pack created havoc.

“We don’t chase ATVs,” Redd said, citing safety concerns. “We will try to coral them.”

Redd said the city uses a system of license plate cameras to identify riders and cite them when they arrive home.

Police have received 43 complaints in July 2024, she said, adding that police have assigned an officer to track ATV violations.

Complaints can be filed on the Rockford Police Department website , the Tip411 app, via a text message to 847411, or via 911.

ATVs, or All-Terrain Vehicles, are illegal on public streets in Rockford, and yet drivers continue to cause a disturbance on public roadways, riding in packs, weaving in and out of traffic at dangerous speeds, and performing stunts.

In 2022, Rockford’s Code and Regulation Committee approved an ordinance that allows the city to impound ATVs or dirt bikes after classifying them as “nuisance” vehicles.

The ordinance orders owners of off-road vehicles to register them with the city or face penalties.

The ordinance allows the city to tow the bikes from public or private property if they are not registered, and riders will not be allowed to get gas for the vehicles unless they are on a trailer or truckbed. The city can also cite fuel operators who allow un-trailered ATVs and dirt bikes to fuel up at their station.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Police Chief Carla Redd said that since the ordinance was passed, police have seized 11 off-road vehicles.

Some have been destroyed, and some have been returned, Redd said.

McNamara joked that he wished the city could stage a public event to crush seized ATVs. “That would be personally enjoyable, to me,” he said.

Rockford, and other communities nationwide, have been grappling with illegal ATV use for years .

Rockford Police say officers were able to identify and arrest an ATV driver who crashed into another vehicle while fleeing officers last month, an incident that was caught on bystander video .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports.