Recent events raise suspicion in Village

Date: May 14, 2009
by: Robin Hartill | Community Editor

Longboat Key Police Chief Al Hogle, right, speaks with resident Bob Rokop.

A few of the incidents in the Village reported to the Longboat Key Police Department since Jan. 1: five bottles of liquor stolen from a car; a missing safe; a stolen weed-eater; and many small items, such as flashlights, that have been moved.

Longboat Key Police Chief Al Hogle discussed the incidents with residents at the Longbeach Village Association meeting Wednesday, May 6.

“I can’t really say it’s causing us alarm, but it is causing us concern,” Hogle said.

According to Hogle, police are uncertain whether the incidents are related. If a single person is responsible for the suspicious activity, that person could be anyone — a Village resident, a boater or someone coming into the neighborhood for work.

As a result of the recent events, police officers have been on the lookout for suspicious activity in the Village.

Occasionally, officers patrol the area in unmarked cars or on bicycles.

Hogle said that Village crime rates are about the same as any other Key neighborhood, but that it has several possible points of entrance, which makes it less secure.

“We’re trying to emphasize that people should be more cautious,” Hogle said. “We also think it’s a good time to remind people to lock their doors.”