Longboat Key Cops Corner: Where's the fire, Mack?

June 1

Alarming x2

1:43 a.m. and 3:37 a.m., 500 block of Bay Isles Road

Fire alarm: Police and fire units were sent to a building from which a fire alarm was triggered, and on both occasions, fire personnel were unable to reach the building’s alarm-control panel. No emergency was detected from the outside, and an owner was not able to be reached.

Out of toner?

4:56 a.m., 1900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Abandoned 911 call: A dropped 911 call from a private community’s gate house got the attention of police, who responded and learned the call originated from the gate house’s fax machine. There was no emergency, and the guard disconnected the machine from the phone line.

Alarming again

7:43 a.m., 500 block of Bay Isles Road

Fire alarm: Police and fire units again were called to a building from which a fire alarm was triggered. It was classified a false alarm.

Too fast

8:34 a.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: A driver was issued a written warning for driving too fast on Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Too slow

10:15 a.m., 5000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Traffic: A driver was issued a verbal warning for driving too slow (27 mph) on Gulf of Mexico Drive. The man behind the wheel said he was showing his girlfriend homes along the road. The officer suggesting pulling off the road, while not blocking the bike lane, to allow traffic behind to flow through.

Making an impression

12:03 p.m., 500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Alarm: A residential intruder alarm indicated interior motion and triggered a police response. The officer encountered a real estate agent with clients who had not realized the alarm had been armed when they entered.

Just ask next time

3:06 p.m., 700 block of Linley Street

Boat: A boat owner called police over an unauthorized use of his dinghy. The boater said the owner of an adjacent boat used the smaller craft without permission, though there was no problem between the two parties. The owner said he just didn’t like the others assuming it was OK. The officer spoke to the adjacent boaters who said their inflatable dinghy had sprung an air leak and had no intention of stealing anything. The officer advised getting prior permission before using other people’s property.

June 2

Just checking

12:38 p.m., 1900 block of Harbour Links Circle

Abandoned 911 call: A caller dialed 911, then hung up. Police as a matter of routine checked on the address to make sure there was no emergency. The resident told the responding officer he misdialed and all was well. There were no signs of foul play.

Going nowhere

3:26 p.m., Longboat Pass bridge

Boating incident: Two kayakers struggling against an outgoing tide at Longboat Pass asked for assistance from the police department’s marine patrol officer. The officer took them, their kayaks and belongings aboard and safely transported them to the Linley Street Boat Ramp.

Middle of the road

6:29 p.m., 500 block of Bay Isles Parkway

Reckless driving: Police officers were alerted to a reckless driver, passing in the median and speeding. Police checked the surrounding area for the older-model car described by witnesses, but it had left the area.

June 3

Dog on the loose

9:13 a.m., 600 block of Putter Lane

Dog nuisance: A resident called to report an aggressive dog on the loose in the neighborhood but didn’t want to meet directly with officers. After checking the area nearby, the officer did not locate an aggressive dog.

Wrong beach

8:38 p.m., Off the key

Suspicious circumstance: Police were notified of a caller who said his friend needed assistance on the beach, near a beach access point. Officers checked all the beach access points without finding anyone. The caller was contacted and said a Manatee County deputy was with his friend at Coquina Beach.

June 4

Better tell Dad

11 a.m., 5300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: The island’s traffic-monitoring camera alerted officers to a car owned by a driver with a  suspended license. Once stopped, officers learned the owner’s son was behind the wheel. The driver was told the reason for the stop and allowed to proceed without incident.

Helping out

11:09 a.m., off the key

Assist other agencies: Longboat Key’s police and fire boat both responded to a boat fire across Sarasota Bay in Sarasota County. Fire Boat 9 extinguished the fire. There were no injuries, and the boat was unoccupied at the time of the fire.

Move it, please

4:09 p.m., 3000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: A box truck parked on the southbound side of the highway was partially blocking the bicycle lane. Its driver was asked to move it entirely off the road.

They’re back

5:37 p.m., 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious vehicle: Police were alerted to a car connected to a previous suspicious incident at a town business. This time, the car drove southbound past the business, turned around and drove north, again passing the business. A patrol car was stationed in the business parking lot. Police had no cause to stop the car, and monitored it as it left the island. A person connected with that car is a former employee.

Safe keeping

8:10 p.m., 1600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Found property: An officer on patrol spotted a black and orange bicycle with two flat tires in the grass and stopped to see if its owner was nearby. No one was. In waiting for a sergeant to bring a bike rack to the scene, the officer was told a child earlier in the evening was pushing the bike along the sidewalk when a vehicle picked him up, leaving the bicycle behind. The bike was loaded up and taken to the police department.

Bird helpers

8:21 p.m., 6900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Animal assistance: A police officer transported an injured bird from the beach to a drop-off cage at Save Our Sea Birds on City Island.

Night light

9:38 p.m., 3100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious circumstance: An angler on the beach using a white light was advised that such illumination was not permitted during sea-turtle nesting season. Red or amber lenses are allowed.

June 5

Stolen wheels

1:53 p.m., 3500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Missing property: An employee of residential community reported a black and orange bicycle missing from a rack in the parking area. The employee was told a similar bike was found the day before and was taken to the police department for safe-keeping.