Rockford authorities to ‘address illegal ATV usage’ on Tuesday

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford authorities say they will “address illegal ATV and off-road vehicle usage” at a briefing on Tuesday.

“These vehicles are being operated in a manner that jeopardizes public safety, violates local ordinances, and poses a threat to residents and property,” a city spokesperson said Monday morning.

Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd and Mayor Tom McNamara are set to hold a media conference at 1 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.

Tuesday’s briefing follows a fact-finding investigation undertaken by the Winnebago County Public Safety Committee in June, which included speaking with neighboring communities that have rules in place for off-highway vehicles.

“It’s a problem in Rockford. It’s also a problem nationwide, where people have been injured and killed, pedestrians from infants to senior citizens,” Committee Vice Chair Aaron Booker said at the time. “So we’ve got the problem here in Rockford. We have to address it.”

“I can name countless numbers of people that I’ve talked to in the community that have also experienced something similar,” said Committee Member John Sweeney. “It just seems very rampant and very tough to deal with from a policing standpoint.

“On our way to the Cherry Vale Mall, my wife and I and three of our youngest children and, you know, just people acting extremely reckless in and out of traffic, popping wheelies down Perryville,” Sweeney continued. “I indicated to them that they were breaking the law and that was inappropriate, which led to us being followed into the parking lot of Cherry Vale Mall.”

In 2022, Rockford’s Code and Regulation Committee approved an ordinance that allows the city to impound ATVs or dirt bikes.

The ordinance orders owners of off-road vehicles to register them with the city or face penalties. Driving ATVs on city streets is already illegal.

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.

McNamara said the ordinance came into being because the riders are causing major public safety concerns, performing reckless stunts and blocking roads .

However, riders continue to cause a nuisance to motorists on Rockford streets.

McNamara previously said it is often too dangerous for police to chase the bikes, which can achieve high speeds and weave in and out of traffic.

“When we have chased ATV’s in the past, they jump curbs, drive through yards, through alleys at high rates of speed and, you know, we never know when a child may be playing in a yard or someone backing out into their alley, and we certainly don’t want to cause further damage or further public safety concerns,” McNamara said in 2022.

Rockford Police say officers were able to identify and arrest an ATV driver who crashed into another vehicle while fleeing officers in May, an incident that was seen on a widely shared bystander video .

In that incident, an officer stopped behind the ATV at a red light, but the driver sped off into the intersection, popped a wheelie, and was hit by a 2015 Chrysler 200.

Police said the driver fell off the ATV but got back on, and drove off as the officer ran after him.

Days later, investigators with the Rockford SCOPE (Specialized Community Oriented Police Enforcement) team were able to identify the suspect as Xavier Hearns , 24.

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