Longboat Key Cops Corner: All is well

Oct. 3

Contact made

12:12 p.m., 5100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Welfare check: Following up on a request from a family member, a police officer  visited a residential community to check on the welfare of a resident. Upon making contact with the resident, the officer asked if she would please connect with the family member. No other police or medical assistance was needed.

It’s a secret

12:24 p.m., Lois Avenue and Broadway Street

Parking: An anonymous caller to police tipped officers to a car possibly parked illegally. An officerfound no illegally parked cars in the vicinity.

No trouble

2:15 p.m., 2600 block of Harbourside Drive

Dropped 911 call: An incomplete call to 911 operators from a business prompted an officer to check on the situation. The officer found three employees inside. One of them told the officer they were the only ones on the property, and that the business was closed. The employee said she knew nothing of a 911 call from there.  The officer confirmed all was normal at the location.

Oct. 4

Hmmm...who really called?

11:45 a.m., 6300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Noise: A caller who did not leave their name alerted police to noise connected with a nearby construction project. An officer arrived and spoke to the work site supervisor, saying such work was prohibited on a Sunday. The supervisor  then dismissed his work crew for the day.

Evasive action required

2:30 p.m., 1900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Road debris: An officer was dispatched to an area in which a caller reported road debris. The officer found roof shingles on the road’s southbound lanes, and cleared them.

On one condition 

6:06 p.m., 4100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Alarm: An officer responding to an activated intruder alarm arrived to find a man standing at the front door. He identified himself as a flooring company worker who had been given access to the home's interior via a key lockbox to measure. He said he was unaware the home’s alarm would be armed. A check with the homeowner, who was not present, confirmed the man was permitted to enter as long as he didn’t remove anything from the property, which was relayed to the worker.

We’re OK

6:57 p.m., off the key

Water rescue: A report of kayakers possibly in distress was answered by one of the town’s fire-rescue department boats. The kayakers told first responders they were fine and did not need assistance.

Oct. 5

Early start

2:56 a.m., 300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: An officer conducting traffic enforcement stopped a northbound box truck driving 50 mph in a 35 mph zone. The driver, who was given a written warning for speed, told the officer he was heading to work.

Hot stuff

2:23 p.m., 2100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Fire: Police assisted the town’s fire rescue department in handling a smoldering fire in the rear of a trash collection truck. There was no apparent damage to the truck and no injuries reported.

Looks OK

4:57 p.m., 2000 block of Harbourside Drive

Welfare check: Police went to a residential community to follow up on a request for a welfare check. A community maintenance worker opened the door, and the officer found no one home, but the residence appeared clean with no sign of trouble.

Fly, be free

9:55 p.m., 1000 block of Longboat Club Road

Animal call: Police were called regarding an osprey on a balcony that seemed incapable of flying away. The caller and an officer could not determine if the bird was injured, but as animal control officers prepared their equipment to capture the animal, it flew off.

Oct. 6

The new guy

11:59 a.m., 200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Alarm: An alarm indicating duress was received from a business, resulting in a police officer arriving to investigate. A manager new to the company had entered the wrong code upon leaving.

Oct. 7

Look what we found

10:40 a.m., 500 block of Hornblower Lane

Found property: A resident called police to report a dinghy that had drifted up against his dock. The boat had no identifying information on it and the resident did not know from where it could have drifted. The police department’s marine unit took possession of the boat and brought it back to the police station.

Quite an arrival

1:37 p.m., 700 block of Broadway Street

Property damage: A business manager called police to report damage done to a boat dock’s lighting system. The manager could not estimate a dollar value. The boat operator said he was attempting to dock at the business but accidentally struck a dock walkway, damaging the lights.

Anchors away

3:35 p.m., Linley Street boat ramp

Boating call: The town’s marine patrol officer spotted a sailboat moored to the Linley Street docks, adjacent to a sign that said No Mooring. The officer spoke to a party connected to the boat, who told him the vessel had last been anchored about 100 yards from shore. He surmised the anchor might have dragged and someone tied the boat to the dock. The man said he would have the boat removed.

Who were those guys?

9:17 p.m., 500 block of Gunwale Lane

Suspicious people: A caller reported a pair of suspicious men going door to door in a neighborhood. Both wore blue shorts and white shirts and one spoke with a British accent. Police were not able to find men answering that description and license plate information turned out fruitless. Police reported no other similar complaints and deemed it an isolated incident.

Oct. 8

Trouble with the state

8:58 a.m., 3500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: An officer on patrol was alerted by the town’s license plate recognition system that a vehicle with an expired registration had passed one of the system’s cameras. The vehicle was stopped, and the driver acknowledged the lapse, adding he’s had difficulties of late with the state department of motor vehicles and the agency that manages the state’s electronic toll-paying system. The driver was given a written warning.

Oct. 9

My bad

11:16 a.m, 6300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Road obstruction: A police officer stopped to talk with the driver of a commercial vehicle stopped on the side of the highway with a portion of its left rear wheel in the bicycle lane. The driver said he had been unaware of his mistake and immediately moved the vehicle to clear the lane. The driver was issued a verbal warning.