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Tag: Holmes Beach Police Chief

Pedestrians struck while crossing street

Pedestrians struck while crossing street

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – The intersection of Gulf Drive and Marina Drive in Holmes Beach was temporarily closed May 12 after two female pedestrians were struck by a truck while crossing the street in a marked crosswalk. The driver, Michael Ritchie of Bradenton, told police he had the green light and did not see the women as he was turning left from southbound Marina Drive onto southbound Gulf Drive.

“It’s important for motorists to understand that they must yield to pedestrians even if the light is green, as it was in this case,” Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said. “The only time a person turning left has the right of way over pedestrians is when they have a green left-turn arrow. There is no arrow at this intersection, so drivers always need to be alert when turning.”

The two women, identified as Miriam and Deborah Trotter, both sustained injuries. While D. Trotter was released from HCA Blake Medical Center the same day, M. Trotter suffered critical injuries and remains on life support at press time for The Sun.

Ritchie was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian.

Spring break in full swing on AMI

Spring break in full swing on AMI

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Featured.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Thousands of students, many with their families, have flocked to AMI to escape the still-freezing temperatures farther north, trading quizzes and tests for beach volleyball and fun in the sun.

Due to different regions of the country having spring break on different weeks, the season here on the Island runs from the first week of March through the first week of April, making spring break more than a month long. Traffic will be heavy, parking will be limited, beaches will be busier than any other time of the year and wait times at restaurants will be longer, but there’s plenty of fun to be had if these things are factored in when making plans for a day on AMI.

“There is parking, even this time of year,” Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said. “Saturday, March 11, the Manatee Beach lot was full by 11:15 a.m., but at 3 p.m. there were still 52 clearly marked parking spots that were open. On Sunday, March 12, the beach lot was full by 10:30 a.m., but more than an hour later at 11:50 a.m., there were still 88 clearly marked parking spots near the beach.”

Tampa International Airport issued a statement saying March 11 and March 26 were the two peak travel days for passengers coming to the area for the spring break season. When local Island residents are asked what the busiest day of the year is, the answer is often March 15, as it is a metaphorical bullseye in the middle of spring break season.

“We’re with Lone Star Soccer Club out of Austin, Texas. We have a tournament in Bradenton this week, so we get to spend our spring break here,” said Shelby Hollywood, who is here with three of her friends. “The water is so clear, the beach is beautiful and the people are friendly; we’re having a great time.”

Unlike Miami, Panama City, Daytona Beach and even Siesta Key, AMI isn’t known as a chaotic “party” spring break destination. Many young people come with their families, and the Island doesn’t experience many of the problems those destinations see year after year. Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach see the highest concentrations of spring breakers on the Island, and neither of those police departments have reported any serious crime or violence so far this season. However, police in all three Island cities warn visitors to practice common sense. Lock car doors and keep valuables out of sight, walk in groups after dark, don’t leave valuables unattended while on the beach, and don’t have pets or drink alcohol on the beach. Alcohol is not permitted on any public beach on AMI, and this is strictly enforced, especially this time of year.

“We want everybody to have a great time, but we also want everyone to be respectful and responsible,” Tokajer said. “Just remember you are vacationing in a residential area.”

According to the Holmes Beach Police Department, which has license plate readers that count how many cars enter the city each day, the first week of March saw 214,740 cars, for an average of 30,677 per day. The first weekend of week two (March 11-12) there were 36,718 and 35,468 respectively, a significant increase, showing the crowds are growing as the season peaks.

AME student’s art on patrol with HBPD officer

AME student’s art on patrol with HBPD officer

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Anna Maria Elementary School fifth grader Charlee Maize has her artwork displayed in an unconventional place – in the window of Holmes Beach Police Officer Christine LaBranche’s patrol vehicle.

As the school’s resource officer, LaBranche is a daily presence at AME and a friend of students and staff alike.

LaBranche presented school Principal Mike Masiello with the idea to create a contest for fifth graders to create artwork honoring police officers and their work in the community.

The winner’s artwork would be turned into a decal to be placed on the officer’s patrol vehicle. With Maisello’s support, the contest was held with the theme of “police protecting our community.” After reviewing all of the submitted artwork, HBPD Chief Bill Tokajer chose Maize as the winner.

AME student’s art on patrol with HBPD officer
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer congratulates fifth grader Charlee Maize on her contest-winning artwork, which will spend the rest of the school year on School Resource Officer Christine LaBranche’s patrol vehicle. – Submitted

“The idea was brought to me by Officer LaBranche, and I loved it,” Masiello said. “She said she had seen it somewhere else, and it would be great for community relations and I agreed.”

Tokajer presented Maize with the chief’s challenge coin. Her art will remain displayed on the school resource officer’s police vehicle until after next year’s competition.

“Every student did a great job,” Tokajer said. “I really liked the way Charlee made the “o” in police as a donut, it was a great touch, and we’re happy her work will be seen by many in Holmes Beach. We hope to continue this with the fifth graders every year.”

He said he hopes to make this a yearly tradition honoring the artwork of AME students and to continue the long-time positive relationship between the community and the police department.

AME is one of only a few elementary schools in the county with a full-time police officer stationed on campus. Tokajer says while it is common to have a police presence at high schools, AME is fortunate to have the service of a full-time school resource officer. While he said most elementary and schools do have on-site security, they are generally private, often retired police officers and bonded civilian agents.

Holmes Beach Hummer not just for show

Holmes Beach Hummer not just for show

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – The Holmes Beach Police Department has a new tool that can not only turn heads, but also save lives.

On the Island, it’s not uncommon to see a Ferrari or Rolls Royce passing by in traffic, but drivers are doing a double-take when they see a fully marked military Hummer that looks like a regular police SUV went to the gym and hit the weights. The vehicle is the latest addition to the Holmes Beach Police Department’s fleet, and it’s not just for show.

“We didn’t need any taxpayer money to get this Hummer on the road. When the vehicle came to us it was a mess. This thing had a big plant growing in the back, it was dirty, it had obviously been outside for years,” Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said. “We took it and washed it, sandblasted it, had the interior Rhino-coated, painted it, added the graphics and all the detail work.” 

Holmes Beach Hummer not just for show
The Holmes Beach Hummer is fully equipped with emergency lights, sirens and even military armor. HBPD officers also added a custom metal flag on the hood of the “Stormtrooper.” – Jason Schaffer | Sun

The Hummer was nicknamed “Stormtrooper” after one of Holmes Beach’s dispatchers said the white vehicle looked like a stormtrooper from Star Wars. The vehicle was acquired through the 1033 program, which allows participating police departments to buy military surplus equipment, including vehicles such as the Hummer.

“We are a part of the 1033 program. We signed up as a city to make sure we’re in compliance with what the government says we need to be,” said Tokajer. “After the storm Irma came through and we had to do a couple of high water rescues, we had three of our trucks that sat up pretty high damaged due to water. Since we have to save people, we began looking for a Hummer.”

Tokajer wasn’t just looking for any Hummer, he wanted one with an intake snorkel that sticks up from the engine about 3 feet. This allows the engine to take in air and run completely submerged in water. The Hummer also has an exhaust pipe that rises more than 3 feet from the rear of the vehicle, preventing it from stalling out in water that can rise above the windshield. 

Holmes Beach Hummer not just for show
Holmes Beach police officers worked hard to transform a military surplus vehicle into a working rescue machine. – Jason Schaffer | Sun

“I’m always looking for ways to improve the equipment for the department that doesn’t cost the taxpayers any money,” Tokajer said, adding that the Hummer was set to cost $500 initially, but since it needed a little more work than advertised, the $500 was dropped and the only initial fee was the cost to have it towed to Holmes Beach.

Tokajer said his officers did most of the work on the vehicle installing lights, paint, new parts and more. The total cost to restore the 1999 Hummer to like-new condition was only $2,000 due to the extra effort by the officers. The $2,000 came from the department’s maintenance budget, leaving taxpayers to pay nothing. He said the damage that regular police vehicles may not incur in a high water situation thanks to the Hummer could save money in the long run.

Tokajer said there is more equipment his department is currently working to secure through grants that will not require taxpayer dollars, including a boat and some new radios. He estimates the department has gotten over $1 million in funding from other sources that did not put a burden on the taxpayers over the past nine years.