Circle leaders call for increased police presence

Although the commercial tourist district of St. Armands Circle may not be a hotbed for crime, businesses are growing concerned about a perceived lack of police presence in the area.

For Diana Corrigan, executive director of the St. Armands Circle Association, the problem stands out because she remembers a time when the Sarasota Police Department was extremely responsive to problems on the island. Ten years ago, merchants on the Circle had a designated cellphone line they could use to directly contact the patrol officer in the area. Getting a quick response to a complaint wasn’t a challenge.

Today, Corrigan said, that’s changed. Circle stakeholders are searching for solutions to their woes, working with SPD officials to address the feelings of neglect.

“I’m getting a tremendous amount of complaints from our businesses because they do not see the same police presence at night that we used to,” Corrigan said. “They don’t even know who the officers are that are there at night.”

The concern about policing is broad, but at least two specific issues have been raised by Circle businesses. Employees feel unsafe when stores are closing at night between 9 and 10 p.m. — and they’d feel reassured by the visible presence of an officer.

“They do not see the same police presence at night that we used to.” — Diana Corrigan

When people do report incidents — a suspicious person or someone shoplifting, for example — there can be a delay before an officer takes action. Corrigan shared stories about police dispatchers putting callers on hold for 10 minutes, only to eventually instruct them to call back later.

“This is where we’re all getting frustrated, because we’ve never had this before,” Corrigan said. “Even though we’re St. Armands, the worst of situations happen in good areas.”

Although this has been a recurring source of consternation at St. Armands BID meetings, Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino said she hadn’t heard those concerns. Still, she said she is committed to maintaining a constant level of service in all of the city’s 10 patrol zones. It can be a challenge to satisfy everybody’s demand for police presence, she said.

“We will never have the number of police officers in our agency that the citizens in our community want,” DiPino said. “Everybody wants their own police officer.”

There were eight major crimes reported on St. Armands Circle in 2015. Two were larcenies from vehicles, and the other six were burglaries. Compared to the rest of the city — or even the rest of Zone 10, where the Circle is located — that’s a low crime rate. Accordingly, St. Armands is seen as a lower-demand area.

“We are looking at intelligence-led policing and deploying our resources where the needs are,” DiPino said. “I’m going to do my best to make sure everybody gets the appropriate police response and care.”

Part of the challenge for officers patrolling Zone 10 is the high standard set by one of their predecessors. Donzia Franklin, who retired in 2014, was a constant presence on St. Armands even when she was off duty. She patrolled the keys for two decades, earning the nickname “Island Chick” in the process.

“There is only one Donzia Franklin,” said SPD Deputy Chief Pat Robinson, who appeared at Tuesday’s BID meeting to discuss policing issues.

“It takes some time to build those relationships. Our agency’s really pushing for that.” — Bernadette DiPino

Although that might be a difficult benchmark to meet, Robinson and DiPino said the goal is to create a level of comfort between officers and the communities they’re patrolling. Robinson said he would ask the nighttime patrol officers to introduce themselves to business owners when they get the chance.

“It takes some time to build those relationships,” DiPino said. “Our agency’s really pushing for that.”

Robinson is also asking officers to make sure they’re carrying the zone cellphone and that, when possible, they stay on the Circle as businesses close. Still, any police presence might not be felt throughout the Circle — an officer on the west end of St. Armands isn’t necessarily visible  to someone on the east end.

Demands throughout the patrol zone, which encompasses the area west of the John Ringling Causeway, place additional constraints on officers. If an officer were anchored in the Circle, the impact would be felt elsewhere.

This is part of a broader issue as the department works to serve the city with 41 fewer sworn officers than it had in 2007. Still, as the level of concern on the Circle grows, leaders in the area will continue to push for improved police responsiveness.

“That’s my biggest issue,” Corrigan said. “We are all dealing with things we didn’t deal with 10 years ago.”