How the cops saved Christmas: Holiday light tour on in Davenport, Milan

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By Times staff | Tuesday, December 04, 2007 |

Wade through 21 pages of Federal Transportation Administration rules to learn why a Quad-City holiday tradition nearly came to an end. Then thank innovative folks in Davenport and Milan for saving at least a part of it.

Rock Island police began the traditional holiday senior light tour in 1994 and the rest of the Illinois Quad-Cities joined in 1995. The following year, the Iowa-side police got involved. By 2006, the tour took 3,000 seniors on a tour of holiday-lighted homes. More than 100 police officers coordinated the caravans.

They all likely would have continued this year. But the FTA revised its rules to kick public transit services out of the charter bus business.

Blame the bureaucrats? Not quite. This is a dilemma that’s tough to like, but tougher to disagree with. Government-paid-for buses shouldn’t be competing with private charter bus businesses.

Until 2006, area public bus services provided low-cost buses to the police departments for the light tour. MetroLink had provided each bus for $38 per hour, well below charter rates. Rules revised this year by the FTA prohibit public transit services from competing with private charter businesses. That left the police departments to raise more money and negotiate for private bus service.

Davenport and Milan are contracting with a private bus company to provide the service this year. To save money, they opted for school buses. Both contracted with First Student the private firm that provides Davenport school’s bus service. Milan police say First Student gave them a reasonable $48-per-hour rate for each bus. That includes some accessible buses with lifts.

Moline and Rock Island bowed out on the Illinois side. On the Iowa side, the Scott County Sheriff and police in Bettendorf, Eldridge, LeClaire, Blue Grass, Buffalo and Princeton announced Thursday they would cancel this year’s tour.

We commend those departments for initiating and sustaining this wonderful tradition. But we understand their reluctance to continue. Hosting scenic tours should not be a core competency of our police departments.

That’s what makes Davenport and Milan’s extra effort even more commendable. By working with a local private charter bus company and seeking outside donations for support, these two cities showed how to sustain this wonderful, uniquely Quad-City tradition.

Learn moreDavenport: The tour is set for Dec. 10, with more details due next week. Contact

Davenport Police Officer Chuck Lee at (563) 326-6173.

Milan: 6-9 p.m., Dec. 17. Call the Milan Police Department at

(309) 787-8520.