Chief O’Shea, Mayor Morrissey Address New Year’s Crime Spree

Mayor Morrissey, Police Chief O’Shea and leaders from the City Administration addressed the recent violent crime in the City during a press conference this afternoon. “The violent crime that plagues our City is unacceptable,” said Mayor Morrissey. “I wish there was an easy answer. There isn’t. We are responding to the immediate concerns at the Cliffbreakers’ location. We will also continue to partner with our social and community service agencies, and family, church, and school leaders, among others, to build a more effective, coordinated approach to combat the underlying issues that too often manifest into the violent crime we experience.”

“We are deploying all of our internal resources to address the violent crime in the City,” said Chief O’Shea. “Addressing crime in our City is a shared responsibility. We need and are asking the public for their assistance. We simply cannot successfully prosecute cases without information that leads to arrests. Anyone with information regarding any of these incidents is encouraged to call the Rockford Police Department at 815-966-2900, or report information anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 815-963-7867.”

The Cliffbreakers homicide investigation is ongoing. Todd Cagnoni, Community and Economic Development Director, and Kerry Partridge, Interim Legal Director, confirmed that the City is investigating what, if any, code violations may have occurred. The findings of the investigation, and subsequent action, will be announced at a later date. The City is also evaluating options regarding the $2.7 million Section 108 loan which has not yet closed.

 “We believe that in addition to all the other reasons, Cliffbreakers has to manage its facility properly, certainly when the City is going to be backing a $2.7 million loan, we have an additional responsibility to ensure that the facility is properly managed and in compliance with code. If not, we will modify accordingly. We want to have a functioning, healthy hotel and will do everything we can to work through any issues,” concluded Mayor Morrissey.