Despite Initiative, Davenport Sees No Drop in Car Thefts

First Bettendorf and now Davenport and Moline are urging you to keep an eye on your lock button.

One week ago, I blogged about the rise in car thefts in the Quad Cities, particularly in Bettendorf, to the tune of 2 per day. That's absolutely staggering. Now, Davenport is seeing such a rise, they are warning you to keep your doors locked.

Over 750 cars have been stolen in the Quad Cities since 2016, according to WQAD.com. Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorski is putting out the warning to keep your car doors locked.

'"Many stolen vehicles are involved in traffic accidents, used in the commission of other crimes such as robberies, burglaries, and all too often are found abandoned with heavy damage," Sikorski said.'

Another story hit the news today at WQAD.com. Car thieves took a custom handicapped van from a double amputee.

Police are bound by a no-chase policy for public safety and many of these teens are getting away with it so much so, there's a call to rethink what's behind that policy because this has gotten out of hand.

"Quad City police are urging people to lock up their cars and not leave them running unattended. They are not pursuing stolen vehicles because there is an area-wide no-chase policy in place for the safety of the public. Also, in the cases where the juveniles have been caught, police say, most have been released."