WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderPolice chief responds to unit disbandment proposal

Police chief responds to unit disbandment proposal

By Marissa Alter

ROCKFORD (WREX) - Rockford Police Chief Chet Epperson responds to the union's proposal to cut costs without layoffs. The 14-page letter includes ideas to disband both the M3 unit and the Community Services unit and transfer those officers back to the patrol division.

Those options kind of take aim at Epperson's policing philosophy. The M3 unit was created shortly after he took over the department. And the chief has made it very clear he believes community policing is the way to cut down crime.

"We have no intentions as we sit today with the budget cuts to disband either one of those units. Those officers in those units, and our officers overall, have done a tremendous job turning this p.d. around and the city around to embrace community policing."

Epperson concedes there may be some adjustments to the units because of budget impacts. Deployment of community services officers could change, so they wouldn't be at neighborhood watch meetings. That has one group's president worried.

"The CSO unit is absolutely critical to getting crime down," says North End Square Watch President Joan Wardzala. "We depend on them. The aldermen depend on them. The police department has already cut CSO service to every other month to four neighborhoods on the west side. I was told by Sgt. Welsh the services would be cut to everyo ther month for all neighborhoods across the city."

Epperson says there will still be an officer at the watch meetings just maybe not the same one as in the past. But Wardzala says the chief told her he plans to phase out the community services unit altogether.

"I've already been told by one of the associations that's only going to be receiving every other month, that they will fold," states Wardzala. "They're elderly over there. And if they don'thave that face-to-face contact with the community service officer to talk about crime, they will just fold."

"I don't know what information Joan or any other citizen has recieved that our community services program will alter, stop, or be modified," Epperson shoots back. "There could be some adjustments inside as  far as who goes to those meetings. But at the end of the day, it's a police officer."

Wardzala she says she's arranged a town hall meeting with the chief and mayor for next month.