DAVENPORT, Iowa — Davenport Police say they will add more patrol officers to the West Davenport area after four businesses and a church say they were broken into this month. Business owners met with police on Tuesday to get more answers.
Owners of Sweet Delite Ice Cream Shoppe, Cedar Memorial Christian Church, Rudy's Tacos, Scott's Shovelhead Shed, and Grubeez say they were all broken into in June. Sweet Delite owners have security camera video of a man setting small fires off their front window.
Business owners say they believe it's the same person tied to all the crimes, but police have not linked them or made arrests. Some owners say they can't rest easy until something is done.
"Instead of me sleeping in my bed, I'm going to be sleeping on the floor of my bar tonight," says Scott Nicely, Scott's Shovelhead Shed owner. "I had to put razor wire up around ... I've done everything possible to keep this kid out of there."
Nicely says his business took on more than $10,000 in damages. Jan Goacher, co-owner of Sweet Delite Ice Cream Shoppe, says she fears for her teenage employees.
"What if this person does something more while we are open and I have these kids that I'm trying to protect every single night?" asks Goacher.
"I fight the same battle and I don't like having to not be able to show you guys results and have people going to jail," says Sergeant Colclasure.
Davenport Police say they will put more undercover patrol officers in the West Davenport area for the time being. Businesses can also reach out to the police for a free security survey to improve surveillance.