'An honest, decent man': Remembering Rockford Police Chief Del Peterson who died at 98

ROCKFORD — A World War II veteran who family members say epitomized the spirit of the Greatest Generation and was chief of the Rockford Police Department for 20 years, died Tuesday at age 98.

Delbert Peterson was a lifelong Rockford resident. He grew up during the Great Depression and graduated from West High School in 1941. He fought in World War II as a U.S. Navy Corpsman with the 4th Marine Division at the battles of Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima.

And he was a Rockford Police Officer for more than 36 years, the last 20 as chief until he retired in 1985.

"He had an extraordinary life," said Dana Schreibel, Peterson's stepdaughter. "He was very proud of the city. He was a lifetime Rockford resident and very proud of his service to the country. Really, when they talk about the Greatest Generation — that was him."

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Peterson married Lois Dahlberg Anderson in 1983. They enjoyed spending time with their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren for more than 38 years. They traveled together to all 50 states.

Known to many as "Del," Peterson served as chief of the Rockford police force from 1965 to 1985, a period that included the tumultuous Vietnam War era as the civil rights movement roiled the country and reverberated through the city.

Peterson was known for giving sage advice that some officers never forgot.

Among them was Joe Rinaldo, who when he retired in 2010 after a 42-year career, recalled in an interview with the Rockford Register Star an exchange he had with Peterson as a young officer.

"I'll never forget that day," Rinaldo told the Register Star. "He said, 'You know the difference between right and wrong, don't you, son?' I said, 'Yes sir.' He said, 'Well, I want you to go out there and do right, and arrest everybody who is doing wrong.' "

Peterson administered the oath of office to then rookie Rockford police officer Dominic Iasparro in 1971 who later went on to lead the department's detective bureau, serve as a deputy chief and as an interim chief of police in 2005.

Iasparro said Peterson had a reputation for integrity and professionalism. He said Peterson was "an honest, decent man who was very fair and was very tough. He set high standards."

Peterson was a law enforcement leader who was respected not only in Rockford but also by leaders of state and federal law enforcement agencies, Iasparro said.

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He volunteered and participated with myriad police, veteran and community associations including the Rockford Rotary Club and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In his retirement, Peterson helped develop and establish a police history exhibit at the Midway Village Museum.

Peterson was recognized for modernizing the department in terms of equipment, evidence storage and record keeping systems. He helped establish CrimeStoppers in Rockford and the chaplains program in 1970, "a successful program that was copied throughout the country," Iasparro said.

"He was ahead of his time in terms of the organizational aspects of the department," Iasparro said. "He was really a leader in law enforcement in many ways."

Funeral Services are planned at noon Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 200 N. First St. Visitation will be from 10 to 11:45 a.m. before the service.

Jeff Kolkey: jkolkey@rrstar.com; @jeffkolkey

Editor's Note: An earlier version misidentified a battle that Delbert Peterson participated in during World War II. It should have said he was a veteran of the battle of Saipan in 1944.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Del Peterson, who served as Rockford police chief, dies at 98