Nearly every night on the news there have been stories of recent car burglaries. This is happening almost every night in nearby cities such as LeClaire, Bettendorf, Davenport, Moline, and Rock Island.

While cars have been stolen in the past years, the numbers of cars being stolen in 2018 has increased significantly. In 2016 in Bettendorf, only 15 cars were stolen. This year, 60 cars have already been stolen in Bettendorf. In Moline, 88 cars were stolen in 2017 and 105 have been stolen this year.

Rock Island recently had 10 cars broken into in one night between the hours of 5 o’clock PM and 12:45 AM on 5 different streets. 7 of the 10 cars were criminal trespasses, so the cars were broken into but had nothing stolen. The other 3 cars reported missing items. Police say all of the cars that were broken into were unlocked. Locking your car doors and taking all valuables inside will make it harder for intruders to get into your car and for property to be stolen.

Barbra Erenberger, a resident of the neighborhood across from Hopewell Elementary, recently had her car stolen from her garage. “We have always left our garage door opener in the truck that we keep outside. We must’ve forgotten to lock the truck that night, because our garage door was open and our car we keep inside the garage was gone.” Luckily, police found the car in Davenport with just a few minor dents and the gas tank empty. Erenberger said, “This was a wake up call, and everyone should learn from our mistake.”

Another Bettendorf resident, Mary Carlson, also had her car stolen. The car was unlocked, and a spare key was kept in the glove compartment. Carlson said, “Only 1 thing was stolen, and the police found the car a week later. Luckily our car was detailed and fixed for us.”

These burglars have shown that they are not afraid to continue breaking into cars. If they see something they like, they will get into the car by breaking the windows if the car is locked. However, there are ways to prevent break ins from happening. If you are able to, always park in the garage, always lock your doors even when you are driving, park in an area where it is visible and near other cars, activate security systems, and do not leave valuables or an extra key in the glove compartment.