MOLINE, Ill. — Police across the Quad City Area are making a plea to the community after an ongoing string of car thefts.
Police are calling the incidents a "dangerous epidemic" and some have turned violent.
"These guys are breaking into garages, they're getting into houses, they're taking advantage of people's good will," Moline Police Detective Jon Leach said.
Hundreds of cars are winding up stolen around the Quad Cities. News 8 reported about a Davenport man who was injured when he was hit by thieves July 19 when he tried going after who took off with his car.
“They think it's not going to happen to me” Leach said. “They say, ‘I’m just going in be in there for a minute or two,’ and that's all it takes. It happens in good neighborhoods, it happens in bad neighborhoods, it happens everywhere."
In Moline, Leach says the numbers are on the rise so far in 2021. Moline is reporting an increase from 2020 when there were 53 cars stolen by mid-July. Below are the current numbers of cars stolen as of July 22, 2021:
- Moline: 93
- Rock Island: 80
- East Moline: 46
- Bettendorf: 28
- Davenport: News 8 has requested information
Police say groups of kids are behind a lot of the cases and the cars end up being used in other crimes.
“What compounds things is, a lot of these stolen motor vehicles are used in felony crimes," Leach said. "We're talking shootings, felony retail thefts."
Residents feel more needs to be done to reduce the amount of car thefts.
"As a parent, I think parents need to know where their kids are," Moline resident Karen Henkins said.
“I think it's probably just a crime of opportunity," Moline resident Pat Bomgardner said.
Leach said many of the crimes are preventable to not become a victim to the acts.
“You just take your keys out of your car and you don't leave it running and unattended,” Leach said.
Leach said he has not heard of any cars being hot wired, just keys left in the car.
Police have made arrests, but some residents feel there needs to be tougher penalties from the courts in order to get a handle on the acts.
The Davenport man who was hit by thieves when his car was stolen on July 19, is still in the ICU, but his family is hopeful his recovery gets better every day, according to the family.