Think you can outsmart Rockford Police and keep speeding your way through town? With upgraded tech and a renewed focus on enforcement, your lead foot is about to meet its match—and your wallet won’t be happy about it.

Rockford Police Are Cracking Down on Speeders—And It’s About Time

Canva
Canva
loading...

If you’ve been tempted to channel your inner NASCAR driver on Auburn Street or zoom past the Hard Rock Casino, you might want to reconsider. Rockford Police are handing out speeding citations like Halloween candy this year, with numbers hitting a four-year high.

Sgt. Brian Strawser of the Rockford Police Department's Traffic Unit has made it clear: “It’s definitely a major, major concern within the community.”

New Tech, New Tickets

police car lights in night city with selective focus and bokeh
Getty Images/iStockphoto
loading...
97 ZOK logo
Get our free mobile app

Thanks to two major upgrades, patrol vehicles are now armed with the Eagle 3 Radar System (which sounds just as intimidating as it is). This radar doesn’t just sit around waiting for you to whiz by—it’s always on, tracking every car across every lane, like Big Brother but for your bad driving habits.

Also, those patrol cars are equipped with license plate readers. So if you think you’re clever speeding near the Nicholas Conservatory, think again.

The numbers don’t lie:

Eyewitness News obtained data on the number of speeding citations issued by Rockford Police officers through a Freedom Of Information Request.

From January to October of 2024, police issued 750 more citations compared to the year prior.

MORE: LOOK! 5 Most Hated Intersections in Rockford, Do You Agree?

A Friendly Reminder: Red Means Stop

Canva
Canva
loading...

MORE: 5 Hilarious Town Names to Replace Rockford

Speeding isn’t the only problem. Rockford’s roads are a red-light runner’s paradise. So disturbing is the trend that cautious drivers (like yours truly) now wait an extra beat before pulling away at green lights. Why? Because getting T-boned isn’t on anyone’s to-do list.

Consider this your wake-up call, Rockford. Slow down. Your wallet—and the rest of us on the road—will thank you.

RELATED: Biggest Reasons Rockford Drivers Are the Worst in Illinois

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli

See the Must-Drive Roads in Every State

Gallery Credit: Sarah Jones

More From 97 ZOK