by SC Publisher Shannen Hayes
Sanibel has been rated the seventh safest city in Florida by the National Council for Home Safety and Security. Our crime rate is 74 percent below the national average, according to the most recent data from the FBI.
That shows the around-the-clock dedication of our police officers to keep residents and visitors safe in their homes and on the road. Their valuable work was the No. 2 and No. 3 most-read stories of the year.
In July, officers found themselves in a risky situation when they responded to a condominium on West Gulf Drive after neighbors heard shouting between a male and female. When they arrived on the scene, the man would not comply with their commands and a struggle ensued.
An officer was struck in the eye and the man continued to resist officers until he was faced with a taser gun. Officers charged him with two counts of battery, resisting arrest with violence and false imprisonment. They transported him to the Lee County Jail.
In that same week, officers arrested and charged three individuals for driving under the influence and cited two drivers for careless driving.
The Sanibel Causeway is owned and operated by Lee County and represents the end of our police department’s jurisdiction. But our officers responded to reports of a shooting in October on Causeway Island B. Two people were reportedly injured and became the third most-read story.
Vehicle crashes keep our officers busy on a weekly basis and they handle reports of animal incidents, even transporting sick or injured animals to the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife or responding to remove an alligator from a pool.
The Chronicle has published police reports each week for the past several years and will continue to keep our community informed on the valuable work of our dedicated officers in the new year and years to come.
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