Joshua Carpenter has been a Rockford police since 2012.

On December 30th, 2018, Carpenter at 5:51 p.m. was tasked with setting up a perimeter for a barricaded person.

In the morning hours of December 30th, RPD officers were called to the household of Kerry Blake after neighbors saw Kerry remove furniture from the house and put it on the street.

The officers attempted to engage Kerry, who ignored them. They made note of Kerry’s diminished mental health and were reminded that Kerry had been involved in previous incidents where his problems with mental health became apparent.

After the officers left, Kerry Blake was a man undergoing a mental crisis that led him to briefly take his neighbor's vehicle that was the same make and model as a Blake family member’s vehicle.

Unbeknownst to Kerry, there were children in the backseat. Kerry immediately let them out (he had only driven half a block) and returned with the vehicle back to his residence.

The parents of the children in the vehicle called 911 to report a carjacking. For the second time, RPD officers were sent out to the Blake household. From the start, they were made aware of the incident from that morning and all past incidents involving Kerry’s mental health.

Carpenter arrived at 5:51 p.m. and he was quickly approached by SWAT officer Jordan Stedman who requested Carpenter and his K-9 be stationed in the back of the house with the SWAT team.

This is where Carpenter stood while the decision was made for the SWAT team to breach the house.

The SWAT team snuck in through the back as officers kept Kerry occupied at the front door.

Matthew Krantz, the SWAT team leader, shot and killed Kerry.

Joshua Carpenter was present and working outside District 1 on May 30, 2020 - the first protest in Rockford following the murder of George Floyd.

Carpenter was in full SWAT gear. He tackled and arrested a nonviolent protester.

Carpenter was also present on January 10, 2021, when RPD was assigned to ban occupiers.

One individual was arrested. They later had all charges dropped.

On May 28th, 2024, Carpenter was assigned to work as security at Rockford’s city council meeting. The meetings in recent weeks had seen an influx in attendance by pro Palestine supporters in an attempt to get a ceasefire resolution to pass through City Council.

During the meeting, there was some impromptu disruption from Rockford community members which led to Carpenter and Luis Aguillon escorted out the disrupters and gave them a verbal ban from City Hall.

In 2019, Carpenter made $78,608 in salary + $17,115 in overtime = $95,723 + $25,155 in health insurance + $30,497 in pension pay.

In 2020, they made $81,263 in salary + $14,842 in overtime = $96,205 + $25,155 in health insurance + $33,025 in pension pay.

In 2021, they made $92,715 in salary + $14,321 in overtime = $107,036 + $24,180 in health insurance + $34,932 in pension pay.

In 2022, they made $88,899 in salary + $21,622 in overtime = $110,521 + $25,350 in health insurance + $39,700 in pension pay.

In 2023, they made $89,714 in salary + $26,396 in overtime = $116,110 + $25,350 in health insurance + $46,059 in pension pay.

In 2024, they made $89,893 in salary + $18,505 in overtime = $108,398 + $26,325 in health insurance + $52,059 in pension pay.

If you or anyone you know has been abused, harassed or otherwise mistreated by this officer please email us with the officers name in the subject.