You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here

Thursday, Dec. 29

Stuck but unoccupied

9:06 a.m., 2100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Fire assist: Fire and police units responded to residential building on a report of a stuck elevator. They arrived to learn the lift was empty.

Friday, Dec. 30

Self de-escalation

11:06 a.m., 500 block of Ranger Lane

Citizen dispute: A pair of neighbors came to a mutual agreement about tree limbs on their properties after police spoke to both of them following a call about a dispute.

Saturday, Dec. 31

Closing time

1:07 a.m., 2600 block of Harbourside Drive

Noise complaint: A police officer responding to a report of a noisy party aboard a docked boat told the gathered crowd of about 30 that the hoopla was over, and it was time to leave. They did so willingly. The host of the party told officers she had invited a few friends over but the party's address ended up being posted on social media without her permission. Dozens more uninvited guests showed up. She said she was trying to have everyone leave about the time police arrived.

Happy New Year

11:07 p.m., 3400 block of Winding Oaks Drive

Citizen assist: A homeowner called police to report a burst irrigation pipe that was causing a flood on her property. The water flow had stopped by the time an officer arrived, and the homeowner said she would contact her homeowners’ association in the morning about repairs.

Sunday, Jan. 1

Free car wash

1:09 a.m., 5400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen assist: An officer on patrol encountered a unexpected fountain of water spraying across Gulf of Mexico Drive. Upon further inspection, he ascertained the problem was a broken sprinkler head. Before the officer could report the problem to Public Works, the water flow ended, but he reported the break nevertheless.

Literally!

1:19 a.m., 4400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Fire assist: Fire and police responded to a reported Dumpster fire. Both sets of first responders arrived, and fire-rescue personnel extinguished the blaze. Police assistance was not needed.

Sittin’ by the dock for a day

6 p.m., 700 block of Broadway Street

Abandoned vehicle: The management of a restaurant called police to report a boat that had been tied up to its dock for about 24 hours in violation of a sign that reads “No overnight docking.” Police were able to find the owner of the vessel who did not know it had been there. The owner of the boat agreed to move it immediately.

Look, up in the sky

11:21 p.m., 7000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Fireworks: An officer was sent to the north end of the island on a report of fireworks being set off. He neither saw nor heard fireworks but spoke with a group of people riding in a golf cart, and they reported seeing fireworks over Bradenton Beach on the other side of Longboat Pass during the same time frame.

Monday, Jan. 2

Not so fast

1:33 p.m., Greer Island beach

Dog on the beach: A police officer watched as a man stepped off his beached boat and tried to bring his dog to shore. The officer explained the town’s rules on dogs and beaches. The man said he did not know about the town’s dog-beach rules and returned to his boat.

Still generating complaints

8:18 p.m., 600 block of Cedar Street

Noise complaints from water: A resident called police over an ongoing situation involving noise from a moored boat’s generator. The officer took written statements about the ongoing issue and flashed his flashlight at the boat, which resulted in a person aboard the boat shutting down the generator. The officer ascertained the noise rose to the level of a town-ordinance violation. The witness statements were placed into evidence and the town’s marine patrol officer was notified about the violation.

Tuesday, Jan. 3

Sleepy time

11:20 p.m., 100 block of Broadway Street

Suspicious vehicle: An officer spotted a parked car in a lot with a sleeping man behind the wheel. The man told the officer he was taking a break and fell asleep. The officer explained he could not stay there because the lot closed to the public 20 minutes earlier. The man then left.

Wednesday, Jan. 4

At your service

10:57 a.m., 400 block of Firehouse Court

Citizen assist: An officer helped a homeowner shut off the water supply to a bathroom fixture that would not stop running and was overflowing. The officer recommended to the homeowner that she call a plumber to repair the problem with the fixture.

Thursday, Jan. 5

Trouble with the new wheels

2:30 p.m., 4300 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen assist: A resident called police seeking help for a problem with a South Florida car dealership from which he had purchased a vehicle. The man said the dealership told him it was sending a tow truck to retrieve the vehicle because the previous owner had not completed the required ownership-transfer paperwork. The man said he had not received his money back and that he had made thousands of dollars’ worth of upgrades to the vehicle, and the dealership was not being cooperative. The officer explained the situation was not a police matter, and that an attorney would likely be needed to help sort through the civil issue.

Back where they belong

6:10 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Found property: A set of keys turned in to a town employee at a park eventually were returned to their owner. An officer on patrol through the park was approached by the employee and handed him the keys given to her. The keys were brought to police headquarters for safe-keeping. The next morning, a police department employee spoke to a person on the phone who inquired about a lost set of keys and was able to correctly describe them. A relative came to the police department with confirming identification and retrieved the property from the police department’s front desk.