Dear Cape Haze Neighbor,
I was hoping that my first letter as President would be to tell you about all the progress that we have made on the projects we spoke about at our January membership meeting. However, it is with a concerned heart that I am writing to you to let you know about a serious incident that took place in our neighborhood this past weekend. On Sunday morning, there was an attempted home intrusion on Green Dolphin (for more details, please see the email below from that neighbor). I certainly hope this is an isolated incident, but I feel the need to raise awareness and develop a strategy to avoid future events.
As you may know, Cape Haze has been fortunate to have an experienced and dedicated neighbor, Bob Colburn, who has been our security liaison to law enforcement. To say we have a neighborhood watch would be misleading, since Bob is the only active person serving the community in this area (thank you, Bob!). We are an open community by land and by sea, where boats and cars have unfettered access. While security is something that I was planning on addressing later this year, it has moved up on the Board’s list of projects to address. We will be meeting in two weeks and will further discuss a plan.
In the last two days, I have had conversations with Bill & Mary Kupersmith, various neighbors and some trained security individuals. There are steps that we can take as a community, as well as steps that we can take individually.
CHPOA Board:
Contacted the Sheriff’s Department to request an increased presence in Cape Haze (thankful for their service and quick response!)
Reached out to the neighborhood watch division of the Sheriff’s department to plan an onsite meeting of a Cape Haze neighborhood watch.
Coordinated with several neighbors to formally start a neighborhood watch.
Cape Haze Residents:
Lock your home and car doors.
Ensure proper lighting around home and yard.
Avoid leaving valuables in plain sight.
Get to know your neighbors, as we are the best lookout for those that we know well.
Consider joining the neighborhood watch (contact Mark Fletcher: fletchmrf5@gmail.com)
I hope to have more to report to you in the upcoming weeks.
Honored to Serve Cape Haze,
Rob Matthews, President
Cape Haze Property Owners Association
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| On Sunday morning around 2 a.m., Bill and I woke up to an attempted breakin to our home. Our video door bell took photos. Bill and I would like to make the Cape Haze community aware that even here, where I have always felt so safe, I no longer do. In the first photo attachment you will see one “masked bandit”. In the next attachment, it looks as though he brought some buddies with him. If you zoom in you will see at least three men. We called 911 and the police were here within minutes. They searched our lanai, yard and dock area. Then they stopped by the next morning to take a look at the second photo. They have been fantastic.Below is a note Bill sent to the detective, along with the two attachments. Needless to say, Bill and I were more than a little spooked when we saw the photos. If there is anyone in the Community who noticed anything suspicious that night/early morning, please let us know. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home. Just want to give everyone a “heads up” to keep their cars and homes locked. Thank you.Mary Kupersmith ———- Forwarded message ——— From: Billkup<billkup@gmail.com> Date: Mon, Feb 27, 2023 at 3:56 PM Subject: Figured it out with help from American Audio To: <tgoff@ccsofl.net> Dear Detective Goff, Here are the two photos from our video door bell on Sunday morning at 1:58 am. I hope these photos come through better than the ones taken with your phone cameras. In picture #2 it looks as though the second guy doesn’t have a mask on. It was a pleasure meeting you and Mary and I want you and your guys to know that we truly appreciate what your department does for our community. Sincere thanks, Bill Kupersmith |
