Resident urges ordinance to regulate scrap dealers after multiple thefts

Cheryl Shagner, a Third Ward resident, urged the Davenport City Council Committee of the Whole to draft an ordinance that would hold scrap metal dealers to the same standards as pawnshops after repeated thefts from her property.

Shagner described the theft of a heavy antique blacksmith forge from her front yard, saying the item had survived a 2016 tornado but had been stolen recently. She said she reported the theft to police and provided the report number 2523980. Shagner told the council she visited multiple recyclers and that one business — Alter(ed) Midwest Recycling — would not speak with her without a police report and later required the police to contact them before discussing the matter.

Shagner told the council that similar incidents have occurred elsewhere in the city, citing brass plaques taken from Ben Butterworth Park that she said amounted to about $5,000 in thefts. She asked the council to place an ordinance on the agenda to impose pawnbroker-style requirements on scrap dealers and to prevent stolen property from being trafficked through local recyclers.

Why it matters: Residents and property owners who lose irreplaceable or high-value items through theft seek regulatory tools and enforcement to aid recovery and deter theft. The council did not enact an ordinance during this meeting; Shagner’s remarks were received during the public comment period and will require a sponsor or staff report to move forward.

Next steps: Shagner asked that at least two council members put the proposed ordinance on a future agenda; no formal referral was made during this meeting.