Rockford Police Chief Upsets Some Southwest Area Parents

Rockford, IL - "I won`t get up and tell you something that I can`t do, and I can`t put a cop at every bus stop," says Rockford Police Chief Chet Epperson. That was something one Rockford mother did not want to hear at Tuesdays Southwest Neighborhood Association Meeting. "I haven`t seen very much patrol at all in the morning," says Juanita Hernandez-Gonzalez. "I don`t know if bus drivers are required to report any suspicious activity or if they even have training to do that." Parents are asking for an increase in police bike patrol for the summer and extra attention at bus stops to be aware of child predators. Hernandez-Gonzalez has a 13-year-old daughter who attends public school. She heard about an attempted kidnapping about a month ago and spurred into action. "I went on the computer and researched the number of sex offenders we have located in the Southwest area and there`s about 72 registered sex offenders," says Hernandez-Gonzalez. Epperson says thats more than he would like, but the department is doing everything it can within the constraints of the law. "We have a program where sex offenders have to register," says Epperson. "We verify their address and if they`re not residing in their address, a warrant is issued for their arrest." Hernandez-Gonzalez is not satisfied with that answer, though. "I don`t want to pre-judge anyone, although statistics say that sex offenders, they usually repeat the offense," says Hernandez-Gonzalez. There are about 400 registered sex offenders in Rockford. For weeks, Epperson has been visiting each neighborhood and meeting with residents about their concerns about drugs, crime, and prostitution. Epperson stresses the importance of reporting crime, saying he has an "open-door" policy. Epperson says he plans to roll out his community-oriented policing program late this fall.