Diligence can fight crime in Lakewood Ranch area

Captain Robert Mealy of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office wishes all police work could be so effective.

He said stopping car burglaries can be as easy as pressing a button.

The one that locks a car.

In the early morning hours of March 20, three neighborhoods in East County were hit by a spree of car burglaries. More than 20 vehicles were involved in the Waterlefe, Ravenscrest and Summerfield areas.

None of the cars involved was locked.

Mealy, who oversees District 3, which includes East County, said the Manatee County Sheriff's Office believes it is likely all three neighborhoods were burglarized by the same "bad guys ... or girls." The number of people involved in the thefts has yet to be determined, but Mealy said it could be "two or five or more."

The pattern was the same.

"If the car is locked, they bypass it," Mealy said. "That in itself, will prevent a lot of these burglaries."

Mealy said multiple thieves will go into a neighborhood, then drive around or walk around looking for unlocked cars. "We have video, very good video," Mealy said. "We see these people in a car, literally for 20 seconds. They take change, sunglasses, anything of value."

Sandy McIver, a lieutenant with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, said the burglars are not about taking risks.

"They want something quick," she said. "Breaking glass is not quick."

One item passed over showed the burglars are very particular about what they are stealing. "The other night there was a loaded gun in a car," Mealy said. "They bypassed the gun and took change."

But a loaded gun left in an unlocked car?

As Mealy finished his sentence, McIver shook her head and added, "You would be amazed (at what people leave in their unlocked cars)."

Sometimes people leave a key in their unlocked vehicle, so the burglars come back later and steal the car. 

 McIver said the burglars on March 20 likely were from the area, judging by their movements and video tape. Although it seems strange law enforcement officials could tell without being able to identify the thieves, Mealy said his fellow officers learn certain behaviors and demeanors. They can tell whether it's an organized group from outside the area, or a local group who know all the intricacies of an area.

They also noted the East County area isn't plagued with such crimes, but that they do encounter select "sprees" every few months. The mode of operation often is the same.

"They work under the cover of night," Mealy said. "Really, we are dealing with midnight to 4 a.m. Usually, the cops and the crooks are the only ones out at that time. By 6 a.m., people are getting up to start their day."

He said the bad guys are quiet and do not want to do anything to draw attention or give themselves away. They work quickly, then jump from neighborhood to neighborhood.

With the security video available these days, the Sheriff's Office has seen patterns, even when the thieves aren't the same. "You see one bad guy and when he walks up and gets into a car, you see three or more in the street.

Fortunately, the Sheriff's Office has been able to make arrests. "Often, we find someone who has used a debit card or credit card (taken from a burglary) and, inevitably that's how we make an arrest."

Mealy said his patrols have such a large area to cover with some many neighborhoods, that trying to stop vehicle burglaries is like searching for the proverbial "needle in a haystack." However, with help from the community, the chance of an arrest greatly increases.

In 2016, the Sheriff's Office made an arrest of a group burglarizing the Covered Bridge Estates area of Ellenton. After a call, deputies on patrol saw a car creeping through the area. A short time later, people were seen walking through the area. After those people led deputies back to their car, they were captured with stolen items taken out of cars in the neighborhood.

"We've had our success stories," Mealy said.

Both Mealy and McIver suggested local residents call the Sheriff's Office if they see a car creeping through the neighborhood or people just walking around who are unfamiliar. He said residents should never feel bad about making a call that turns out to be nothing. The Sheriff's Office wants to check it out.

If a person does call 9-1-1 and has a safe vantage point, Mealy would ask the person to stay on the phone to give as much information as possible about the thieves. "Safety is the No. 1 concern," he said. "But be the best witness you can be."

He said security cameras are very sophisticated these days ("It's really quite phenomenal," he said) and provide great evidence, but sometimes the residents forget to make sure they are recording. 

However, he goes back to his original point that the best defense is simply by locking cars. He said his office spends a lot of time trying to educate the public.

"We want you to make yourself a hard target," he said. "These are felonies and they leave people feeling violated."

In the East County area, residents need to know burglars might feel they have easy access to major thoroughfares and therefore have an escape rout. Local residents also should know security gates might help, but they don't assure protection from thieves.

"A gated community can lead to a false sense of security," Mealy said. 

While garage burglaries are down, the Sheriff's Office tells people to keep their garage door closed. Patrols will at times knock on a door late at night to see if the residents forgot to shut the door. The Sheriff's Office is active on the internet, with sites such as Nextdoor.

Meanwhile, the Sheriff's Office goes about the job of putting the "right guys" in jail. "A small amount of people commit a large percentage of the crimes," Mealy said.