Cape Haze SHIELD Letter (Security)

Hello Friends and Neighbors,
I asked Mary Lou to forward an email I received from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office
regarding recent criminal activity in the Englewood area. The goal of the email was to share
information, in a timely manner, with the residents of the Cape Haze Community. Maintaining
a level of situational awareness is a first step in taking measures to protect yourself, your family,
and your property. Unfortunately, one of the incidents occurred in the Cape Haze West
community. Ken Snyder’s car was stolen out of his garage. He is willing to answer questions
and share lessons learned with anyone interested in learning more about the incident. If he
doesn’t answer, leave a message and he will call you back. His cell # 609.203.3328. The Cape
Haze Community is a safe place to live but we are not exempt from criminal activity when
traveling in neighboring areas, within our community, or while at home.
Sheriff’s Ierfino’s email outlines established best practices we all should adopt while performing
our daily activities. These practices will help prepare us from being a victim of a crime and aid
in protecting our family and property. Please take the time to review his email and take
appropriate steps to assist you in protecting your family and property.
Charlotte County’s non-emergency # 941.639.0013. This number should be used to report
suspicious activity, such as, when a person’s conduct or action does not fit the normal day-to-day
activity of your community – an occurrence that is out of place. It is important to report
suspicious activity immediately, so law enforcement has an opportunity to respond and hopefully
prevent a crime from happening.
Always call 9-1-1 when situations pose an immediate risk to health, life, property, or the
environment.
Several Cape Haze Residents have expressed interest in creating a program to develop a
standardized approach that helps to better support our community. The Cape Haze Community
Program (SHIELD) is focused on developing policies and procedures to guide us with a wide
range of needs, from daily security to disaster preparedness, response, and mitigation. To date,
we have had two meetings and I encourage anyone interested to join us. Further information will
follow regarding the SHIELD program and our next meeting day/time. Additionally, Sheriff
Ierfino is actively involved in supporting more than 25 communities in Charlotte County with
crime prevention strategies. He will be joining us at one of our future meetings (possibly in the
fall). His experience and knowledge will be an asset to our community.
Sincerely,
Mark R. Fletcher