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Lock It Down QC

WVIK News
Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorsky with other chiefs from the QC area.

Law enforcement agencies in the Quad Cities area are making a new effort to prevent auto theft. Monday  morning, leaders of police and sheriff's departments, plus state police from both states, gathered to announce the campaign called "Lock It Down QC."

Credit WVIK News
a poster for the Lock It Down QC campaign

Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorsky says vehicle theft has jumped more than 14 per cent this year, and so far this month, more than 70 vehicles have been stolen in this area. 

He calls it a crime of opportunity.
"We as community members are letting this happen. We're leaving our cars running in our driveways, and in the lots of convenience stores, and we're still trusting our old instincts that if the car is in my garage I can leave the keys or the fob in it. We just can't do those things."
 
Rock Island Chief Jeff VenHuizen says it's everyone's responsibility to help prevent crime.

"These stolen vehicles are being used in the commission of other crimes which endangers our residents. The simple act of locking your car can stop not only your vehicle from being stolen but also stop other crimes from being committed as well."
 
 
As he says, it takes just a second to steal a car, but takes less than a second to lock it.
 
Their advice is: never leave your vehicle unlocked, never leave the keys in it even if it's inside your garage, and never leave it running, even if you have the key or fob with you. 

A native of Detroit, Herb Trix began his radio career as a country-western disc jockey in Roswell, New Mexico (“KRSY, your superkicker in the Pecos Valley”), in 1978. After a stint at an oldies station in Topeka, Kansas (imagine getting paid to play “Louie Louie” and “Great Balls of Fire”), he wormed his way into news, first in Topeka, and then in Freeport Illinois.