BRADENTON — Crime in Manatee County is down 7% so far this year but would decrease significantly more if people would consistently lock their vehicles, law enforcement officials told Manatee Chamber of Commerce members.
People also should remove valuables from vehicles, particularly weapons, Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells told the group on May 20 at Pier 22.
Many crimes are “crimes of opportunity” committed with weapons stolen from unlocked vehicles, said Wells, a former Manatee County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award winner who has worked for the Palmetto Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol.
“We can try and eliminate the opportunity,” he said.
“We cannot do it alone,” said Bradenton Police Department Acting Chief Brian Thiers, adding that while local crime this year is down, crime rates fluctuate, and it will go up again.
Retail theft and people leaving vehicles unlocked account for most local crime, he said.
License plate readers are effective in curtailing crime, Thiers said, recounting an incident in which a suspect was discovered within 30 minutes of shooting his ex-girlfriend and her co-worker using license plate reader data.
Wells agreed, dismissing criticisms of “big brother” in part because the technology is used to identify known suspects, not random people, and so many other cameras are also in use.
“We have closed crimes with this,” Palmetto Police Department Chief Scott Tyler said. “Facial recognition works.”
New cameras using AI can narrow investigators’ searches significantly, he said, adding that local law enforcement works together to solve crimes.
“We have a unified approach,” sharing information among all agencies, Tyler said.
A public/private partnership called Fusus enables law enforcement officers to use camera footage from private businesses and individuals, officers’ body cams, drones and public safety cameras to transmit live footage even as crimes are occurring, Thiers said.
“They can see what’s happening on the way,” he said.