Longboat Key Cops Corner: Sounds like gunfire (it isn't)

Friday, Jan. 7

Bang, bang!

5:13 p.m., 1900 block of Harbourside Drive

Suspicious incident: Several officers canvassed a neighborhood after a resident’s report of sounds that resembled gunfire. Officers found nothing suspicious and were told by a witness that an antique car had driven through the parking lot and backfired several times, adding the owner of the car lives nearby.

Saturday, Jan. 8

Hot tub hullaballoo

12:47 a.m., 200 block of Sands Point Road

Noise complaint: About a dozen people in a hot tub making noise prompted a call for police assistance. An officer arrived and spoke with a community security guard who told police the issue had been resolved.

No more bang, bang!

Noon, 2600 block of Harbourside Drive

Citizen assist: An officer gave a ride home to the owner of an antique car that had broken down.

Not time for the pool

9:59 p.m., 4800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious person: Police spoke to a woman in a swimming pool after hours. Though the woman did not have a command of English, the officer was able to understand that she was not aware of pool hours. The officer reported being unable to find a posted notice of the pool’s hours, but the situation was resolved.

Sunday, Jan. 9

Casting a wide net

12:36 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious incident: Police were called to a town park because a caller believed an angler casting a net from a seawall was breaking the rules. The officer informed the caller there was nothing wrong with the man’s actions.

Tuesday, Jan. 11

Back and forth

12:02 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen assist: A resident who locked keys and a cell phone into his car at a park sought help from police he saw nearby. The officers gave him a ride home to retrieve a spare set of keys and a ride back to the park.

Wednesday, Jan. 12

Watch this car disappear

12:25 p.m., 4700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Abandoned vehicle: A manager of a business asked a police officer if a former employee’s car could be removed from the premises. The manager said the vehicle had been there for about a month. The officer replied that the vehicle was on private property and that the manager was within his rights to have it towed.

Thursday, Jan. 13

Keys and car match up

10:07 a.m., 500 Bay Isles Road

Found property: Police met with a Public Works Department staffer who turned over a set of vehicle keys found nearby. The evening before, a car was reported parked overnight because its owner had lost the keys. Police notified a member of the car owner’s family to come retrieve the keys, then the car.

Friday, Jan. 14

Missing a boat?

8:28 a.m., 2800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Found property: Police removed from the surf a rowboat in good condition following a call from a resident about finding it. Police were not able to find its owner through a hull-identification number and asked the Public Works Department to bring the boat to the police department for safe keeping.