Bettendorf Police: Residents can help prevent ‘crimes of opportunity’
As the school year wraps up and the weather gets warmer, the Bettendorf Police Department (BPD) wants to remind residents to take the extra step and ensure they lock up their vehicles, garages, and homes in order to prevent “crimes of opportunity,” according to a news release.
“We always see a spike in juvenile crime this time of the year and taking the small step of
locking up will help keep this spike down,” said Captain Justin Paul.
On Monday night, Bettendorf Police reported a number of juveniles flooding both sides of
Devils Glen Road in the Deerbrook, Deer Ridge, Glenview, Linton Hills, and Halcyon Hills
neighborhoods.
“They were entering vehicles and garages that were left unlocked,” said Paul. “Fortunately,
the Davenport Police Department (DPD) apprehended four of these juvenile suspects on the night of Tuesday, June 4th, 2024, but there will be others still out there committing these crimes.”
Davenport Police recovered three guns from those juveniles, “which serves as a stark reminder of how quickly vehicle and garage burglaries could turn into violent crimes,” Paul said.
When “crimes of opportunity” occur, significant police resources are spent taking initial reports, processing crime scenes, documenting items stolen, and searching for the perpetrators. “This results in fewer proactive patrols throughout neighborhoods, less traffic enforcement to reduce speeding and crashes, and less overall police presence and visibility throughout the entire city,” added Paul.
In addition to locking up vehicles, garages, and homes, Bettendorf Police encourage residents to call 911 if they observe suspicious activity or crimes in progress. If they have any security
camera/doorbell camera video of suspects or criminal activity, they can call the Scott Emergency
Communications Center (SECC) at 563-388-3661 so an officer can be sent to retrieve that
footage.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
