Officer Jones introduced herself as the community policing officer for our district which is DISTRICT ONE.

Vehicle breakins:  There are frequent vehicle burglaries. The vast majority have the following characteristics:
  • Performed by local teens who live nearby
  • Are more frequent during summer months when teens are out of school
  • Are almost always performed on unlocked vehicles. A tiny percentage involve breaking into locked cars.
  • Not just at night – keys or key fobs can be left in your car for a minute while you run inside, and then the car is gone.
  • Special case: Kia 2015-2020 are very easy to steal.  The SPPD has a budget to supply owners of these specific models with steering wheel clubs to deter theft from Police Headquarters.
Preventing vehicle vandalism:
  • LOCK YOUR CAR! The easy way to prevent this is to lock your car and take your possessions inside.
  • Even if you think something is of no value, the thief may think it might be!
  • If your model is recent, there may be an app for your phone that can alert you that your car is unlocked.
Home breakins: There are very very few of these.  Most offenders are people who are known to the home occupant – e.g. a previous tresspasser, evicted tenant, vengeful former occupant, etc. Nevertheless, it was strongly recommended to lock your doors to remove the opportunity.
Kids who commit these burglaries want to be quick and unnoticed.  They don’t steal or break into cars in public places (Publix, banks) because they might be seen.
When kids steal a car, they are really only out for a joy ride.  The car is often found nearby. Sometimes, the kid may see a police car, and thinking that the officer is “on to them”, begin speeding – resulting in a car chase and a subsequent crash.
Guns in cars:  Officer Jones keeps her gun in a double locked storage case. She strongly suggests that we keep our guns in a locked storage case too.  If that is not possible, be sure to take your gun inside AND lock your car door.
What happens to the kids who are caught?  If they are juveniles, as they usually are, they are taken to the local station.  The parent is called and the juvenile is released. A complex series of “points” can be accumulated by multiple offenders, but even then it can take years for the offender to accumulate enough points to be forced into a remedial program.  The police and the City are working together to try to increase the expectation of restitution of these young offenders.
What could WSV Association do to deter this?
  • If you don’t recognize someone, you can ask what their business is at WSV. If they fail to provide a reasonable answer, you can call the DISTRICT ONE non-emergency number 727-893-7780 and report this
  • “Theft Technology” – there are ways that communities can use light, landscaping, and other fixtures to deter crime. The city has an expert on staff who will be contacted to tour WSV and make recommendations.
  • Cameras can help somewhat.  E-doorbells have definitely helped determine patterns and people.  However cameras are not great at identifying people easily and are not a perfect solution.
  • Acquire periodic reports from the Police via stpetestatmap which will provide information on days, time of day and other information to create awareness of when potential offenders are likely to be on site.
  • Ask SPPD officers to drive through at night.  This may not always be possible but the community officers will try.