They weren't messing around.

In a "NOTICE!!" that was included in every packet for this year's July 4th parade in Bettendorf, parade participants were told they absolutely could not throw candy from floats or vehicles. Anyone who ignored the candy-throwing ban would be given a warning.

A second violation would get the candy-thrower ejected from the parade, and a permanent record would be made of the violation. If that person dared to toss a Tootsie Roll at yet another parade, he or she would be forever banned from Bettendorf parades.

The seriousness of the "NOTICE!!" should have been made clear by the number of exclamation points, bold lettering and underlining contained in it.

And just about everyone in Saturday's parade seemed to get the message. Out of more than 50 parade entries, it appears only two failed to follow the new safety rule: Bettendorf police and the Scott County sheriff.

The folks inside the city squad car and sheriff's SUV tossed candy out the windows like it was on fire. Everyone else handed out the goods on foot, which is permitted.

Now let's back up a moment: It's important to understand why the Greater Bettendorf Community Foundation and City of Bettendorf banned candy throwing. Anyone who has ever watched a parade with his or her eyes open has seen the potential for danger.

Consider the circumstances: People throw candy into the street. Children run toward the candy. More vehicles continue down the street, toward the children.

"We have a very large number of people in a very congested area," parade chairman Don Wells said Monday. "The vehicles are very close together, and there are lots of distractions.

"At a Halloween parade a couple years ago, a little red wagon was destroyed by a horse trailer. The wagon went under the rear wheels. Fortunately for us, the kid wasn't in the wagon. He was pulling it."

To avoid another such nightmare, organizers want parade participants to walk up to the children and hand them the candy, rather than throwing it and having no control over where it lands or who makes a dash for it.

"The city wanted to completely ban candy," Wells said. "But more than half the people come to the parade for it. That candy's a big draw. I had to come up with a compromise."

Wells said he has no idea why the police did not comply with the compromise. At least in Bettendorf, he said, police couldn't possibly have missed the memo.

"Two officers helped me draft the notice," he said. "They did know about it. That's the irony of the whole thing. Why those two (police squad and sheriff's SUV) didn't do what they were supposed to do is a mystery."

Not anymore.

"Apparently, our officers did not go through the regular parade lineup … and didn't get word on not throwing candy," Sheriff Denny Conard said Monday. "We threw candy apparently."

Understandable. The sheriff's vehicle has a standing reservation in the parade lineup. The officer who drove wouldn't have received a parade packet, which contained the "NOTICE!!"

Bettendorf is another story.

Police Chief Phil Redington said the officer driving his department's squad should have known about the rule, given a captain's involvement in the rule-making.

"I don't know if he (the officer in the parade) knew ahead of time and just wasn't thinking?" he said. "If anything, I can call it miscommunication. It won't happen again, I can tell you that.

"It is an obvious safety issue."

Barb Ickes can be contacted at (563) 383-2316 or bickes@qctimes.com.