Longboat Key Cops Corner: Is someone poisoning raccoons?

July 23

FYI

4:47 p.m., 800 block of Jungle Queen Way

Animal complaint: A caller to police asked to speak with an officer about suspicions she had that someone in the neighborhood was poisoning raccoons in the area. The caller provided no specifics but simply wanted police to know.

Helping out

4:51 p.m., Lido Beach

Assisting other agencies: The town’s marine patrol officer was called to help Sarasota Police and Sarasota County Fire-Rescue on a call in which seven or eight swimmers were reported to be in distress. Upon the officer’s arrival, all the swimmers had been accounted for and were helped to safety.

July 24

Too fast, too wavy

11:50 a.m., Jewfish Key

Boating call: The town’s marine patrol officer stopped the operator of a personal watercraft after watching the vessel operate with an excessive wake in a slow-speed zone. The operator also was unable to produce a boater-safety card. A verbal warning was issued and the operator was instructed on how to proceed through such zones.

Door-to-door suspicion

2:43 p.m., 500 block of Schooner Lane

Suspicious person: Police questioned two representatives of a credit-rebuilding agency  after receiving a complaint about a pair of women holding clipboards going door to door in a residential neighborhood. Police instructed the women that such solicitation for business was illegal in town. After a routine check for wants and warrants, the women said they would leave the town.

No way to walk

6:23 p.m., near Longboat Pass bridge

Boating call: The town’s marine patrol officer assisted the operator of a personal watercraft who said he had run out of fuel and was drifting toward the bridge support columns. The PWC was towed to a spot near the Coquina Beach boat ramps to await further assistance.

July 25

No way up or down

9:44 a.m., 600 block of Dream Island Road

Rescue assist: Police assisted fire-rescue personnel with a stuck-elevator call. Fire-rescue responders were able to help the occupants out of the elevator.

July 26

Can’t get through

8:02 a.m., 600 block of Bayview Drive

Citizen assist: A representative of the town’s trash-collection service alerted police to a construction trailer blocking the way for one of its trucks to serve one end of the street. A police officer relayed the complaint to the construction company, who said the situation should have already been addressed but would assure the issue would be taken care of.

July 27

Not-so alarming

2:38 p.m., 6900 block of Longboat Drive South

Alarm: Police responding to a residential alarm found a contractor on the job. The worker said he had accidentally triggered the alarm. A check with the property owner confirmed the worker was authorized to be there.

Lighting the way

9:50 p.m., 4200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Traffic: An officer watching traffic stopped a southbound vehicle to alert its driver that the headlights were not on. The driver said she was unaware of the problem and was issued a written warning.

July 29

No crime here

4:18 p.m., police headquarters

Citizen dispute: A resident came to the police department to make a report about a neighbor who frequently threatens to call the authorities over door slamming. The resident said this was an ongoing problem.

Asking nicely

7:37 p.m., 600 block of Emerald Harbor Drive

Noise complaint: A resident called police after an exchange with a tile worker nearby over noise yielded no results. The resident asked the worker to stop making noise with a saw an hour after the town’s established hours, but the worker ignored the request as late as 90 minutes past the cutoff time.

July 30

Computers can fly

4:05 p.m., police headquarters

Found property: Police found the owner of a computer case that had been found by the side of the road. A witness said they saw the case fly off the roof of a passing car. It was recovered before it could be run over. A police employee tracked the owner through papers found in the bag, who said he feared it might have been left on the roof of his car and was lost. The owner came to the police department to recover it.