Cops Corner 9.21

SEPT. 11

WE’RE WORKING HERE

10:24 p.m., 3800 block of  Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious circumstance: Officers were summoned on a report of suspicious-looking flashlights near the pool of a condo complex. After the responding officer’s investigation, the callers were told a team of public works employees was on the job nearby, accounting for the flashlights and sounds.

SEPT. 12

IS ANYBODY IN THERE?

8:52 p.m., 2600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious circumstance: Workers at a vacation resort called police when they heard noises from the complex’s locked game room.  An officer unlocked the room but found no one inside. He later determined the room’s security camera was also equipped with a speaker, through which managers could address people in the room. The connected microphone was apparently left in the open position, and was broadcasting into the room from elsewhere in the resort.

SEPT. 13

THEY OVERLOOKED THE GATE

1:39 a.m., Overlook Park (101 Gulf of Mexico Drive)

Suspicious person: While on patrol, an officer spotted a silver Toyota pickup truck behind the closed gate at Overlook Park. The officer spoke to two people who said they did not know the park was closed. The officer consulted state and national crime-information databases to confirm the two were not suspected criminals. They weren’t and were allowed to leave after packing up their fishing gear.

SEPT. 13

THE SOUND OF RELIEF

6:43 a.m., 6300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Noise: An officer was sent to investigate a report of early-morning noise. The officer discovered an out-of-state work crew unloading heavy machinery for hurricane relief work. The foreman was made aware of the town’s rules prohibiting such work before 8 a.m. and told to shut down until then. The officer also recommended the foreman contact Town Hall for a possible variance.

SEPT. 13

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

7:43 p.m., 5300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Public service: A wire across the sidewalk along Gulf of Mexico Drive drew safety concerns and a call to first-responders. Upon an officer’s arrival, the Longboat Key Fire-Rescue department determined that the wire was a harmless stabilizing wire that had fallen.