Police address San Remo crime fears

In late June and early July, San Remo Estates residents reached out to city officials with an urgent message: The neighborhood is suffering from a crime epidemic.

Those residents had concerns about the response time to incidents in the past month, which included a stolen vehicle and two attempted break-ins. They called on city leaders to add officers to the Sarasota Police Department and asked for relief from what they described as a dire situation.

“Far from the idyllic life we envisioned, we are living in a state of alert one might experience in a war zone!” San Remo resident Ellen Foster wrote in an email.

San Remo Estates is a 67-home neighborhood on the water near the north Siesta Key bridge. So far this year, police have recorded seven property crimes in the neighborhood. That’s an increase over the two reported last year.

Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino says the community is relatively safe, but understands the significance of the concerns residents have expressed.

“If it’s your stuff that’s taken, you feel very serious about it,” DiPino said.

She said the crimes in San Remo have mostly been opportunistic. When someone’s car was stolen, the owner left the keys in the car. When thieves broke into other cars, the doors were unlocked.

DiPino said the victims should not feel they were responsible for those crimes, but she encouraged residents to take simple steps to prevent similar incidents. 

“I take it as a compliment that people feel so safe in Sarasota that they feel like they don’t need to lock their doors,” DiPino said. “But there are some people that are criminals in our community, and they take advantage of opportunities.”

In San Remo, the Police Department is working with residents to devise a plan to address the increase in criminal activity. In addition to patrol strategies, which DiPino declined to discuss in detail, the police chief said it helps when people living in a community are vigilant about reporting suspicious behavior.

“Please, contact us,” DiPino said. “Call 911, or me or whoever, and relay your observations and concerns.”

Scott Schecter, president of the San Remo Estate Association, said residents already have good lines of communication with one another. They felt compelled to broaden their message now because they believed it could inspire city leaders to take action.

 “People want to do what’s best for the community — for not only San Remo, but the neighborhoods around us,” Schecter said.

Schecter and other residents have concerns about the staffing level of the Police Department. At its peak in 2007, the department’s budget called for 204 sworn officers. In the 2017-18 budget presented to the City Commission, that number was 169.

Although the department did propose adding four officers in that budget, DiPino is also focused on addressing problems with the resources available. That includes relying on residents to educate themselves about crime prevention and even organize neighborhood watch groups, which San Remo is doing.

Schecter said officials were surprised to hear of the issues, but are willing to help. He said the neighborhood has started reporting any suspicious activity to the police, per DiPino’s instructions.

He’s hopeful that, with city leaders aware of residents’ concerns, everyone will do what it takes to target criminal activity.

“I’m confident, over time, that people will understand that San Remo and other Sarasota neighborhoods — they’re bad neighborhoods for people attempting to commit crimes,” Schecter said.