Cops Corner: IRS? Probably not

FEB. 10

PAY US OR FACE THE POLICE

12:30 p.m., 400 block of Longboat Club Road

Harassing phone call: A resident reported receiving three phone calls from a caller claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service. The caller insisted the resident owed $23,000 in back taxes, and refusal to pay would result in his arrest. The resident called police to make sure the calls were reported to authorities.

MY LICENSE TAG IS WHAT?

7:55 p.m., 5600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: A traffic camera alert to a car with expired tags prompted an officer to pull over a Honda CRV along Gulf of Mexico Drive. The Bradenton driver told the officer he was unaware his vehicle’s registration had expired.

HELLO 9-1-1? STEAK SANDWICH, PLEASE

8:07 p.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Abandoned 9-1-1 call: An officer responding to an unknown problem encountered the guest of  a hotel who said she had been trying to dial room service. No problems appeared evident in the room.

FEB. 11

BLACK BOX FEAR-TURE

12:17 p.m., 100 block of  Twin Shores Boulevard

Public service: A caller to police was concerned about an unidentified black plastic box floating in the marina. A neighbor at the scene said the box had been in the water for about two months and was likely a broken piece of a dock.

OFF THE LEASH

5:20 p.m., 400 block of Longboat Club Road

Dog on the beach: Two issues were raised in a report of a dog on the beach. First, the dog was a documented animal, wearing an Americans with Disabilities Act-approved ID vest. Second, it was off the leash. The owner was told the documented dog was allowed on the beach, but she was advised to keep the dog under leash control.

FEB. 12

NOTHING ON TV

9:58 a.m., 3400 block of Bayou Sound

Public service: A resident reported to a police officer that his cable TV service had been interrupted. Workers nearby told the officer they had cut a line by accident and that the cable provider would be on site to fix the problem.

FEB. 13

THAT PHOTO IS GARBAGE

12:07 p.m., 700 St. Judes Drive

Neighborhood disturbance: An ongoing dispute between neighbors prompted police to respond to one of their calls. One resident had dropped trash into his refuse can and a neighbor retrieved and photographed it, stating it was construction debris, which is not allowed per homeowners’ association rules. The caller said the neighbor was trying to instigate a bigger incident. A civil case exists between the two people.

FEB. 15

UNIDENTIFIED FALLING OBJECT

6:30 p.m., 4300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious circumstance: Several calls to police regarding something falling from the sky into the gulf near shore prompted a response to the beach. One witness described the object resembling a parachute and person, but the witness’ photos didn’t back up the suspicion. Another witness said she watched through binoculars and saw three balloons, one with a 6, one with a 3 and one with a cloud image on it float down into the water.