Rockford offers $200 rewards for information that leads to ATV citations, impounds

Rockford will offer $200 rewards for information that leads to citations for the illegal operation or impoundment of off-highway or ATVs as police ramp up enforcement of strict ordinances approved in 2022.

Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd during a news conference on Tuesday said the 911 center has created a new code to better track all-terrain vehicle complaints and she has assigned a second officer to follow up on complaints regarding ATVs.

Redd said it is illegal to operate ATVs or dirt bikes on city streets and owners of the vehicles are required to register them for free with the city. She said ATV riders are known to frighten and endanger everyone on the rode by driving recklessly on city streets.

"I can tell you this past weekend I had the opportunity to see some of these ATVs on the street," Redd said. "It was not a pleasant experience. The blatant disregard to public safety. They had no regards to their own safety, let alone the other individuals that are in vehicles traveling on the street."

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An ordinance approved in 2022 made it illegal to fill the gas tanks of ATVs and off-highway vehicles at gas stations inside Rockford city limits unless they are on a trailer. If they aren't on a trailer, gas station attendants are prohibited from allowing riders to fill up.

Both gas station attendants and riders can be cited. Off-highway vehicles that aren't registered can be impounded.

So far this year, Rockford police have gotten 43 complaints about ATVs in July and so far this year have impounded 11 ATVs, Redd said. More impounds are expected soon, she said.

Mayor Tom McNamara said he is still getting frequent complaints about ATVs despite the stricter ordinance that was approved two years ago. McNamara said a resident complained in a recent email to him about being stopped at a light when the driver was suddenly surrounded by about 20 ATVs "wreaking havoc, went through a red light and bounced up onto the grass."

McNamara said they put police in a difficult position because chasing ATVs "would be incredibly dangerous and really somewhat foolish."

"It's dangerous for our officers," McNamara said. "It's dangerous for bike standards. It's dangerous for pedestrians. It's also dangerous for those individuals who are riding those ATVs."

Redd said the city can use descriptions and surveillance cameras to help track ATVs but they also need the public's help.

To attempt to claim a $200 reward residents can anonymously text RPDTIP and tip information to 847411.

Include as much information as possible including the location of where the vehicle is being stored, along with a name and address if possible. You can also notify police if you see an ATV gassing up at a service station. Sending photos and videos can also help, police said.

If the information leads to a citation or impound, police will ask for your contact information so they can provide the reward money.

Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at  (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey .

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford offers $200 rewards for information that leads to ATV citations, impounds