ROCKFORD - Police are warning
residents of an increase in panhandling on
Panhandling isn't
anything new to
"It's not generally
a deterrent to those people," said Lt. Patrick Hoey of the Field Services
Division. "Even arresting some of these
people is not a deterrent."
Hoey says many of
these new reports of soliciting are occurring as
"That causes a life
safety issue," said Hoey, regarding panhandling in the street. He mentions that's legal for people with
permits, doing fundraisers, but not for begging.
Reported or not,
police say the majority of the city's panhandling still occurs downtown. Jerry Kortman, co-owner of JR Kortman Design
on
"They see the
activity and they feel that there's more opportunity to get money," said
Kortman.
Kortman's nervous
those people who might be stepping into his shop for the first time might be
turned off by those panhandling.
"When they're
approached by panhandler they automatically think, I'm not safe down here and
do I want to come back?"
Police say there
are many sob stories that beggars are giving people, and many of them are just
con-stories. Hoey says many of the
people soliciting money are just using it to feed a drug or alcohol
addiction. The best way to get rid of
panhandlers is to ignore them and help them by directing them to actual charity
services that can help those who actually need help get back on their feet.
"The only reason
these panhandlers remain is because it's good for business, because they're
getting people to give them money," said Hoey.
"If there was no one
giving them money they wouldn't hang out around that location."
Rockford PD is
reminding people that panhandling for the most part is illegal, especially
aggressive panhandling. They say giving
money will only encourage the habit, and the best thing is to walk away or walk
with a "buddy" because they say panhandlers tend to avoid groups.
