- April 19, 2024
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As summer drags on in Sarasota County, some residents are getting heated over perceived “crime epidemics.”
In the San Remo Estates neighborhood, residents have noticed an increase in burglaries and attempted break-ins since the beginning of the year. And around the same time those residents noticed a problem, the story of a Sarasota man wielding a machete to fend off would-be robbers went viral in June, when it surpassed local media and appeared on news outlets across the country, including the Washington Post.
But despite the uptick of property crimes in that neighborhood and a few prominent incidents, the crime rate across the country is trending down.
The Observer took a close look at burglaries and robberies in the area, and found that despite these high-profile and close-to-home incidents, Sarasota County has been faring well in terms of local crime, and there are a number of ways to protect your property.
Regardless of any attention high-profile robberies or burglaries in the area have drawn, overall, the numbers for both types of crime are down.
The difference between the two crimes has to do with force. Lt. David Scott, with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office’s Crime Prevention Unit, said a robbery is when someone uses some threat of force to get you to give something up. A home invasion is a robbery that takes place in a home, rather than a business or on the street. And a burglary is when something is stolen, but it’s done stealthily. You may not be home at the time, or may not know someone was in your home.
Scott said it’s rare to see a home invasion, and it’s a more serious crime. He said he sees a couple a year. They typically happen when a suspect knows the victim and are often drug-related.
In 2016, the Sheriff’s Office reported only 0.3 robberies per 1,000 people in its jurisdiction. The Sarasota Police Department reported 1.6 robberies per 1,000 people. In both the county and the city, the number of robberies has been trending down over the past five years.
The same downward trend applies to burglaries in 2016, though numbers are higher for that type of crime. The Sheriff’s Office reported 3.1 burglaries for every 1,000 people, and the Sarasota Police Department reported 5.8.
“I’d like to take credit for that,” Scott joked, before adding crime in general is down. He attributes it to the improved economy.
In the county, the drop in robberies and burglaries could also be thanks to Sheriff Tom Knight’s emphasis on tactical units that target specific people or groups committing crimes repeatedly — what Scott called “prolific” offenders.
“[Ideally] if you could get these one or two bad guys off the street, your numbers would go down,” Scott said. “And that’s what happened.”
At a June County Commission meeting, Knight announced he didn’t plan to add any staff members in the next fiscal year, and in part attributed that to this focused crime prevention plan.
“We don’t want to cast a net out to arrest a lot of people,” he told commissioners. “We want to arrest the right people.”
The majority of thefts in the county are burglaries to unlocked cars, Scott said. And there are a number of preventive measures individuals can take to protect themselves and their belongings.
For property in your car, the simple steps of locking the doors and removing any valuables from the car can go a long way.
“No valuable is worth your life, so we always say give up whatever they want and run if you can. Get away and call us, tell us what’s happening.”
Scott said typically, if someone is going to try to rob or burglarize a home, they will knock on the door first. This will tell them if anyone is home, and give them a chance to look around to see what challenges there might be to getting in. If someone answers, they’ll make up an excuse and leave. If they get no response, they might try to walk around to the back of the home and enter it.
“If there’s something suspicious — somebody walking between yards, trying the door handles to your car or home — that definitely ramps it up to the next level,” Scott said. That’s when you should call police.
Often, Scott said, children are likely to call their parents first. But if something is really suspicious, it’s best to contact police as soon as possible.
“Some people are nervous to call the police, but that’s what we’re here for,” he said.
Other prevention tips include having a good relationship with your neighbors, keeping your garage doors closed and your hedges trimmed and having good lighting on your property. Also, it can be helpful to install an alarm system or hire a company to keep an eye on your home while you’re away.
Though numbers are down, robberies aren’t unheard of in the area.
And although the victim from June 15 and his machete have been lauded in comments sections across the country, Scott said the Sheriff’s Office “wouldn’t suggest people grab a machete,” if they were in a similar situation.
Instead, Scott would suggest the Run, Hide, Fight method, most commonly taught by the Department of Homeland Security for how to respond to an active shooter situation.
“No valuable is worth your life, so we always say give up whatever they want and run if you can,” Scott said. “Get away and call us, tell us what’s happening.”
When contacting authorities about a crime in progress, they will want to know where you are, a description of the suspect, and a direction if they’re fleeing. Draw attention to yourself while you’re running away, Scott said.
If running isn’t an option, the next option is hiding, ideally with a cell phone to call for help.
“The problem with that is now you’re trapped,” he said. “If they find you, you’re at the whim of them.”
The next step if the first two aren’t viable options is to fight. If someone is asking for a wallet or something though, Scott said just hand it over. But if they’re there for another reason, you only have a few options.
“Are they there to harm you? Fight with whatever you’ve got,” Scott said, be it a firearm, a kitchen knife or even a machete.
