Winnebago County Sheriff Officer Dressed as ‘a Bum’ Causes Debate

Local social media is blowing up with debate surrounding potentially dubious tactics used by Winnebago County Sheriff's Police in a speed enforcement zone on Rt 173 on Tuesday.

Was it in bad taste? Many motorists reported a member of law enforcement running radar on Rt 173 near Perryville Rd on Tuesday morning. What is stirring debate is the fact that the Winnebago Sheriff's Police Officer was dressed as a homeless person

The Rockford Roadblock, Speedtraps, Hotspot Facebook Group posted a warning to it's followers on Tuesday morning warning:

Cops on 173 E. of Perryville one dressed as a bum taking radar three cops pulling people over

The officer took up position here:

What is making people upset is the fact that some local residents think police are making light of the homeless population to give motorists citations for speeding.

Motorists noticed an officer shooting radar from the roadside with a hand held speed monitoring device. The officer was not in uniform. It appears to me the officer was dressed in a hoodie, but nonetheless, out of uniform.

This stretch of Rt 173 used to be 55 mph, but was lowered to 45 mph recently and is prime spot to catch speeders.

One angry commentator believes police resources should be used elsewhere and in part posted:

Instead of helping the homeless, They are dressing up as them to extort people who actually work for their money, while violent crime is an at all time high.

Most motorists agree that the speed limit is the speed limit and must be adhered to for safety reasons, but utilizing this tactic is in poor taste.

Do you think this tactic is in poor taste or a necessary method for catching motorists going over the speed limit?