Sumter County Sheriff Office Update
 

This morning we had an extremely positive and informative meeting with Lt. Hayworth from the Sumter County Sheriff's office. I explained that it would be wonderful to be notified directly from the Sumter Sheriff's Office regarding criminal activity and direct online notifications from the sheriff.

I also explained that I've been talking to TOTV Admin here and unfortunately, they do not have an RSS feed so the updates could be populated automatically.

Lt. Hayworth explained that at the end of this month, there will be major changes in the Sumter County Sheriff's Office. They will be transferring to a new operating system from a national vendor called "SMART COP". It will be a complete transition.

I asked him if he would be willing to contact AngieFox to give weekly updates (after I asked Angie to kindly be the contact person since I am in Swimdawg North most of the time). He agreed to call Angie every Monday and she will give weekly updates from the Sumter County Sheriff's Office here on TOTV.

Lt. Hayworth was very informative and kind to spend over 45 minutes with us. He had a wealth of information and there's not enough room on this post for everything. He emphasized V.O.P. Be VIGILANT; Be OBSERVANT; Be PERSISTENT (and a little patient as well). Burglars operate out of opportunity. Lock your doors.....car door, house doors; don't leave anything of value in your golf cart. BE VOP!

He did mention that most of the burglaries do happen in the newer areas where building is still going on.

He was a wealth of information. It was truly an hour well spent.

And YES! TV is certainly one of the safest areas to live in..........but we can't let down. We must be VOP

Thank you so much for the info. We just purchased in Collier and after these postings lately, I have been very nervous to move in.

You're kidding, right ??

I think we all felt the time was well spent!


I felt it was a very productive meeting. While I'm not happy about the break-ins. I felt reassured that this is a problem that appears to be connected to new construction and, while everyone needs to keep their ears and eye open, those of us south of 466A need to be particularly mindful of who is in our hoods!

I know I've talked to a lot of people who sleep with their windows open and don't lock their doors. Lt. Hayworth said that while we live in a VERY safe place it's always prudent to lock up. The best deterrent is a locked door.

Lt. Hayworth suggested that when you leave your home you keep a TV or radio on... People will think you are just in the back of the house and don't hear the door.

He mentioned that too people don't lock up their golf clubs and that people feel so safe here, they leave their wallets and purses in their open carts. This IS one of the safest places to live, however, He said we are way too trusting and invite crime by not doing due diligence.

I'm sorry... one more thing.

When you hear about the break-ins. Send that information to the contact person in your hood to forward to the rest of the neighborhood. Not everyone reads TOTV and it's important that everyone know what's going on. You will be amazed at how fast those emails travel

Also, if you want to know about a break in you can call 452-459-1600 and ask for records. They will be able to give you that information.

Thank you
 

Swimdawg and AngieFox .

We have had back lights attached to the back of BOTH of our Villages homes. Maybe a light post is not allowed but lights attached to your home are allowed. More lights make all property safer.

I sleep with my blinds open as well as my window. I have a very large dog that sleeps under that window. So if someone was creeping around out back he would surely alert. Why not get a solar motion detector light to put on the back of your house that will shine brightly if someone is back there.

I quote Meta Mintons updates so that the verbage doesn't get changed. If not then it becomes like the game of telephone. I heard, she said, it was reported. Meta Minton is very precise and trustworthy.


Jewelry stolen in latest burglary in The Villages

January 13, 2014 By Meta Minton 13 Comments
Jewelry was stolen from a home sometime Sunday morning in the 500 block of Callahan Drive in the Village of Charlotte.
The front door of the home was kicked in sometime while the homeowners were out between 8:45 and 10 a.m., said Lt. Bobby Caruthers of the Sumter County Sheriff’s. The sheriff’s office was contacted at 10:29 a.m. that morning.
It appeared that the burglars also gained access to a safe stored in a spare bedroom closet. It was unclear what was removed from the safe.
This makes nine burglaries which have taken place in roughly the past two months in The Villages.
The burglaries have occurred on the following dates:
• Nov. 3 in the Village of Pinellas at Cedar Grove.
• Nov. 20 in the Village of Sanibel.
• Nov. 21 in the Village of Fernandina.
• Dec. 18 in the Village of Glenbrook.
• Dec. 19, again in the Village of Sanibel.
• Dec. 24 in the Village of Polo Ridge.
• Dec. 26, again in the Village of Fernandina.
• Jan. 3 a lanai screen was cut in a home in Village of Bridgeport at Miona Shores. An arrest in that case was made Friday.
Lt. Nehemiah Wolfe urges Villagers to take advantage of the sheriff’s free home inspection program. Through it, a member of the sheriff’s office will visit a home and provide tips on securing the home. You can schedule an appointment by calling 689-4600.
He added that neighbors looking out for neighbors is also effective.

I would think in this day and age daily records would be available on line as public records. I guess I am wrong again.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office provides this, the page is refreshed ever 60 seconds.

Volusia County Sheriff's Office

I would think Sumter County could out due Volusia County (Daytona Beach, Deland area). I guess I am wrong again.

I hate hearing this crime going on. Doesn't make me a happy camper. I do have to say though that I can't believe people have to be told something as basic as to lock the doors and windows. Really? ???? The Villages is safer than a lot of places but it's not Mayberry circa 1950.

We had gone to the Sheriffs office hoping to be able to get something "real time" as has been suggested. Since I and some others live in the area hardest hit, we have tried to post on TOTV "real time" to get the word out, and to be honest.... it is a daunting task.... There are people on TOTV who don't want to believe we may have a problem in The Villages and have tried to discredit us.

As Karen posted, the Sheriffs office is in the process of putting systems together so we can get this information online "real time". The solution we came up with, until that happens, is that they would call me on Monday's and let me know what has happened in The Villages in the past week and I would post here and send out to my contacts in various neighborhoods so they could in turn send out to their contacts and their neighborhoods.

There appears to be some concern about my getting the information out. So, I would ask you....How many of you would like this information posted on TOTV?

If you really don't want to have this posted, maybe I can just send it via email to those who want the information. I'm OK with it either way.

Angie..could you inquire about this?
Also, after reading your last post, I would like to know these things as soon as you know them. Thank you again for your efforts.

This is what they are working to put in place. It's not there yet.

It's EXACTLY what they are working on!

Thank you Karen and AngieFox.

Angie,
Please post the break-in information on TOTV, at least until the sheriff's office can provide it directly on their website. In my neighborhood I'll make sure to pass it on. And, thank you for being willing to provide the updates as a means to help us be more vigilant.

OP, Ya think? Absolutely yes.
What is the matter with people who think somebody else is on watch and they are not required to participate...?

Great idea! Commit 1/2 hour a day to riding around
 

:Screen_of_Death:I wish I was here longer to ride around my community and yours as well, KittyG. I love your idea of committing 1/2 hour a day to riding the hood. It doesn't necessarily have to be your hood. Great idea!

Even though I'm in TV for a mere week a month, I will drive around. Can't hurt....might help! And don't forget those 3 letters that Lt. Hayworth drilled into our heads earlier today....VOP!

Visit Our Bathroom?:angel:

Sheriff recommends we should be VOP: Vigilant, Observant, Persistant
 

Lt. Hayworth was very informative and kind to spend well over 45 minutes with us. He had a wealth of information and there's not enough room on this post for everything. He emphasized V.O.P.
Be VIGILANT; Be OBSERVANT; Be PERSISTENT (and a little patient as well). Burglars operate out of opportunity. Lock your doors.....car door, house doors; don't leave anything of value in your golf cart. BE VOB!

He did mention that most of the burglaries do happen in the newer areas where building is still going on.

He was a wealth of information. It was truly an hour well spent.

And YES! TV is certainly one of the safest areas to live in..........but we can't let down. We must be VOP!

[QUOTE=swimdawg;811248]
I also explained that I've been talking to TOTV Admin here and unfortunately, they do not have an RSS feed so the updates could be populated automatically.

QUOTE]

Karen
I have an RSS feed set up to forward all NEW postings only to my e-mail. You could also set it up to notify you on your smart phone of new postings. Now at one time the feed was almost instantly passed along but now it is a lot slower. Not sure what happened along the way.

VG

Thank You!
 

[quote=Virtual Geezer;811399]Hi John,
I passed on what Lt. Hayworth said to TOTV Admin. I admit to not being a techie ....like my pal, John, is. I know you've got a lot on your plate right now...or I would ask you to help out. Lt. Hayworth said this new SMART COP System is going to change everything in Sheriff's Office...big time. I'll keep you posted via PM. :)

Thank you soooo much.
Karen

Doubt they will ever break into your home. A big dog is great for keeping crime low. I have two boxers and even my neighbors are afraid to come into the house if we are not home. I might add the neighbors love them both when we are there with them.

Motion Detector Lights are very inexpensive.

I wonder if the Sheriff's Department would have anything to say about these citizen patrols?

Lt. Hayworth said that it's a surprising fact that if you have dog/dogs, they are sometimes not the best crime deterrents. I personally know of a case where a gal had a terribly noisy dog. The gal was being stalked for quite some time and the dog would bark like mad. But....when the stalker broke into her house in the middle of the night, the dog never barked once. So......please don't rely on a dog.

It's true!!!! Lt. Hayworth recommended motion detectors. I put one in the front. I'll put another in my back yard area.

He also recommended noise in the house.....leaving TV/radio on while you're outside the house.

He mentioned cameras in the house as well. I have a couple cameras that I'm having a terrible time installing. If I can ever get them to work, I will be able to monitor Swimdawg South while I'm in Swimdawg North.....using iPhone/iPad. He recommended the cameras and said they are reasonable.

Motion detected lights are very effective and easy to install. We have experience about that after break ins when we lived in Miami, FL.

I completely forgot about the dog question and it WAS my question. I figured that since I had two dogs my house would be pretty safe. Lt. Hayworth told us the story of the police officer who had a police dog in his home. He said the dog was trained to protect. The dog slept through a burglary.

He did say that The Villages is VERY safe and that he was in fact moving his family closer to The Villages for that reason.

He was very excited about SMART COP and felt that once it is implemented, we will get real time information regarding crime in The Villages. The more we know the better we can protect ourselves.

THANK YOU for the updates and thanks for all which are watching for neighbors to keep our area's safe.

ABSOLUTELY!!!! The Villages is an extremely safe place to live.

sorry all you starry eyed mythwishers.
we have real criminals and real crime.
I am single got home tonight where construction is every day across the street, but WHY ARE THEY Loading a truck at 9 pm. My mouthy dog and I confronted, the best I heard was "SCRAP"...they were loading SCRAP and could not tell me who they work for.
I got most of the tag number.
God bless my dog, she did not let up.
I'm calling this in asap.
keep on your toes, villages, we can get rid of the enemy.

Loading scrap at 9PM at night.. Can't tell you who they work for??

Go get em!!!!

Thank you so much to both Angie and Swimdawg for all your efforts! I certainly appreciate any updates you will provide on TOTV! Also, many thanks to Kitty for her persistence! Way to go!:bigbow:

I think the motion detector is really the way to go. If anyone is creeping around the back of you home , the turning on of the light will surely make them get out of dodge quickly.

When I am outside of my house and I see a car or work truck drive by, I look directly at the driver and give a little wave. I'm just letting them know that I've seen you. I don't know if this does anything but I think anyone with bad intentions just might think twice if they were seen.

I believe it is the VIGILANT and OBSERVANT part of the Sheriff's advice. He really drilled it into our heads.... VOP....Be Vigilant, Observant and Persistent.

I really thought KittyG's idea was great. Nothing official........ be aware.

As a team, we will catch these creeps.........and continue to make our wonderful community safe and sound.

I have motion detection lights on the rear.

Fairly inexpensive and very effective. Low life's don't like lots of light on them.


Have the sheriff come to your home, there are things that they tell you that need not be broadcast on here.


Also, if you see something suspicious, either look like you are taking pictures with your phone or do the real thing.


And then call the sheriff's office and tell them. There are those who do pick up scrap and they may be stealing but that act is not as bad as breaking in and stealing. We have witnessed scrap pickers here at new construction a lot over time.