Manatee Sheriff’s Office reacts to rise in vehicle burglaries

Capt. Marc Holden and Lt. Brad Johnson of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office are frustrated with the rising rate of vehicle burglaries in 2023.

It's not just because thieves are coming to Manatee County. It's because they say county residents can take some simple steps to prevent it.

Both officers serve in District 3, which includes the Lakewood Ranch area. Overall in the county, they said vehicle burglaries are up 27.8% since January. They said thefts of personal property in general is up 16% year over year.

“I feel that Lakewood Ranch, Parrish, Ellenton, and Manatee County as a whole are very safe,” Johnson said.

He noted that the county sees very few home burglaries.

However, all the growth in the county and the growing number of subdivisions not far off Interstate 75 make East County to quick hits from thieves. Holden said the vehicle break-ins are concentrated in areas near or along major thoroughfares such as I-75.

Based on surveillance camera footage, he said, the incidents arise from individuals traveling from car to car, testing door handles to see if cars are unlocked. They are familiar with response times for law enforcement, so they test five or six vehicles and then move to another neighborhood.

They will take whatever they feel has value, including change.

“They don't want to be detected; they want to use darkness and stealth as their way of committing their offenses,” Holden said. “Smashing a window or doing the entry methods from yesteryear are counterintuitive to that.”

Holden said these individuals typically conceal their faces with masks or hoods, wear gloves, and disguise their vehicles.

Holden said groups committing these crimes often live in other counties. Holden said in the last 45 days, the department has seen groups of thieves traveling from Pinellas County and Hillsborough County.

Holden said he and Johnson meet on a daily basis, going through reports generated during the previous shift. Johnson said they communicate with other Florida law enforcement agencies to compare crime trends and patterns.

Holden said the Lakewood Ranch area is not an exception in the trends.

"Lakewood Ranch is not unique,” he said. “Other counties, other jurisdictions are seeing the same kinds of activities.”

Holden said thieves have been hitting from Parrish and Ellenton, south to University Park and Palm Aire. However, he said the type of burglaries are not increasing in areas away from the interstate, such as Myakka City, or subdivisions through which it would take offenders a long time to travel. 

“The criminals are looking for the maximum yield, least exposure. They’re looking for the least opportunity to get caught,” Holden said.

Holden urges residents to lock their vehicles, as well as remove any items of value.

“Don't put anything in your vehicle that you would feel bad about being taken from you. Obviously, that goes without saying.”

He said some residents have lost firearms that were stored in their vehicles. Others leave their keys in their cars, an invitation to steal the vehicle.

In response to the burglaries, the amount of patrolling by the Sheriff’s Office has increased in the affected areas, he said. He said staff will patrol communities in areas such as Lakewood Ranch, both in patrol cars and in undercover vehicles. 

“We saturate these neighborhoods as much as we possibly can, each and every night," Holden said. "We're patrolling long after you're in bed. We have cars driving through your neighborhood trying to ensure the safety of you and your belongings.”

He said the department is always trying to keep up with the crime trends. 

“We're moving people's schedules around, we're changing the hours, we're pulling from other areas of the agency.”

Johnson said the patrol, intel, and criminal investigations divisions have identified some offenders, and that arrests have been made and warrants written. The daily communication with other agencies has provided assistance in this area, he said. 

However, Holden said law enforcement cannot be everywhere at once and residents still must take responsibility for their property.

“We can always try harder, obviously,” he said. “Looking at these particular trends, the key to it is for the owner of the property, whether it's car, whether it's a house, whether it's a business or whatever—safeguard your belongings. Don’t make it attractive for these criminals to victimize you. It's a simple push of a button, or locking the car.”