x
Breaking News
More () »

Rash of Bettendorf car burglaries could have been prevented

Police say a recent rash of car break-ins could have been prevented if owners had simply locked the doors.

Area police are telling residents to be aware of a series of car burglaries over the past month.

People living on South Hampton Street in Bettendorf, Iowa, will tell you the same thing.

"It's been a great neighborhood, got great neighbors," said neighbor, Brian VanBlaricome.

VanBlaricome has lived there for 22 years problem free, until a few weeks ago. He's one of the many victims of a series of car burglaries in Bettendorf.

"We want to make sure that people are aware of what's going on in town," said Police Chief Phil Redington

Chief Redington says over the last seven weeks there have been 16 cases of car burglaries. South Hampton Street has had the most hits.

"We've had more than a usual amount," said Chief Redington.

At least four vehicles have also been stolen. One of the vehicles stolen was VanBlaricome's truck.

"I called the police and reported it and haven`t heard anything since," said VanBlaricome.

However, Chief Redington says they all could have been prevented. Most of the burglaries involved unlocked vehicles.

While the police aren't sure if all the cases are connected, Chief Redington says leaving your vehicle unlocked only gives a burglar more reason to keep doing it, "That kind of motivates them to continue to do that because it's easy."

With no suspects yet Chief Redington says it's only a matter of time before someone's caught.

Bettendorf Police is also asking residents to report if they see anything suspicious.

Before You Leave, Check This Out