More motorists were arrested for drunken driving in Holmes Beach as law enforcement held the line against crime in 2016 on the 7-mile Anna Maria Island.
Police departments in Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office for the city of Anna Maria provide 24/7 dispatch and patrols for an island residential population of about 6,600 — and an estimated 24,000 visitors daily.
HBPD made 36 arrests for driving under the influence in 2016, up from 22 in 2015 — an increase of 64 percent.
For 2014, Holmes Beach reported five DUI arrests and, in 2013, there was one such arrest, according to police records.
“We have to take a hard-line stance for the protection of our citizens,” said HBPD Chief Bill Tokajer, hired to succeed Jay Romine in 2013.
He said HBPD officers — at 15 in his 2016-17 budget — are trained on making DUI arrests and the arrests are holding up in court. He complimented night shift Officer Alan Bores as “aggressive on DUI.”
People who’ve read about the arrests in The Islander have asked Tokajer why officers “don’t drive people home,” as they sometimes did in the past.
Tokajer says he doesn’t know if that occurred but considers such a police practice outdated. “Those days are over.”
“If you’re driving under the influence in Holmes Beach, you will be pulled over and should expect to go to jail,” he said.
Besides the DUI uptick and a 2014 jump in Holmes Beach burglary reports, recent data reflects little change from past years. Thefts are the No. 1 island crime.
Local agencies have provided their 2016 data to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for a statewide annual report published in the spring.
The FDLE compiles its midyear and annual Uniform Crime Report in two parts.
Part I UCR crimes include murder, rape, robbery aggravated assault, burglary, larceny/theft and motor vehicle theft. Part II includes arrests by charge, including DUI.
On Part I crimes, the island agencies report:
2016 Crime AM HB BB
Murder 0 0 0
Rape 0 1 0
Robbery 0 0 0
Aggravated
Assault 1 4 1
Burglary-
Residence 12 18 1
Burglary-
Business 1 2 0
Theft 34 68 21
Vehicle Theft 4 2 2
2015 CRIME AM HB BB
Murder 0 0 0
Rape 0 1 1
Robbery 0 0 0
Aggravated
Assault 2 3 2
Burglary 12 26 3
Theft 70 64 29
Vehicle Theft 3 2 2
2014 CRIME AM HB BB
Murder 0 0 0
Rape 1 0 0
Robbery 0 0 0
Aggravated
Assault 3 6 2
Burglary 17 32 2
Theft 41 108 17
Vehicle Theft 1 0 1
For the largest island city, with an estimated population of 3,851, HBPD reported 95 Part I crimes in 2016 — down one from 96 in 2015.
In a summary report to Mayor Bob Johnson, Tokajer pointed to six fewer burglary reports and thefts rising by four reports over the prior year.
Tokajer said he believes the 2015-16 burglary report decrease is due to “more owners taking advantage of the city’s house-check program.”
Burglary reports peaked in 2014 at 32.
The city neighborhood watch program should “definitely” be credited for the crime reduction, Tokajer said.
Anna Maria, with an estimated population of 1,597, registered an increase with 52 Part I crimes compared to 47 in 2015.
“There were no real surprises. Crime is relatively low out here,” MCSO Sgt. Russ Schnering said.
Schnering took over the reins at the Anna Maria-MCSO substation in February 2016. The city contracts annually for the MCSO service.
Most island crimes are “crimes of opportunity,” due to bikes left unlocked, kayaks unsecured and “stuff left on the beach unattended,” he said.
Schnering complimented HBPD’s stepped-up DUI enforcement but doesn’t foresee a similar effort in Anna Maria, saying traffic doesn’t warrant it. He didn’t recall a DUI in Anna Maria in 2016.
He said MCSO has “a good working relationship” with Bortell’s Lounge, the city’s only late-night bar, which encourages people to use the Monkey Bus or other transportation, and that’s “working well.”
In Bradenton Beach, there were no DUI arrests by the BBPD, though several were handled by the MCSO, according to BBPD Detective Sgt. Lenard Diaz.
“My officers will never let an intoxicated driver go. We have the reputation of being very strict,” BBPD Chief Sam Speciale said.
BBPD will identify possibly intoxicated drivers, make referrals to Uber and the Monkey Bus and call on MCSO to investigate and make arrests.
Speciale added, “We don’t do a lot of traffic, but are busy patrolling neighborhoods so we don’t have a lot of burglaries.”
BBPD patrols the longest stretch of beach on the island, between Coquina Park and Cortez Beach, as well as Bridge Street and the neighborhoods.
Asked about 2016 Bridge Street incidents, including fights and homeless, he said, “Where there’s alcohol, there’s activity.”
Extra patrols on Bridge Street since the fall, funded by the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency money, are making a positive impact, according to BBPD Lt. John Cosby.
Historically, theft is the most typical crime in the city of an estimated 1,178 population and that remained true for 2016.
Speciale also talked about something new in the statistics.
“One thing that’s really standing out is our arrests. There’s been a lot of trespass and arrests. I know that’s from Bridge Street,” Speciale said, noting a rise in the UCR category of “miscellaneous arrests” to 23 in 2016, compared with 20 in 2015.
“Merchants are just tired of people hanging out in front of their businesses. They’ve returned. And we’ve arrested them,” he added.
The Bradenton Beach police station is at 403 Highland Ave. Holmes Beach police department is next to city offices at 5801 Marina Drive. The MCSO substation is at Anna Maria City Hall, 10005 Gulf Drive.