Chief's Corner: 9/5/23

Our hearts are with our fellow Floridians who were impacted by Hurricane Idalia last week and are thankful that the storm was not a direct hit on our area.

Still, there was some damage in the form of flooding and storm surge, and our officers were busy before, during, and after the storm. BPD activated our storm plan, which includes staffing officers in 12-hour shifts and aiding at evacuation shelters.

We also had BPD representatives present in the City’s Public Safety Operations Center and Manatee County’s Emergency Operations Center to monitor the storm in real-time.

During and after the storm we provided rescue services, mapped flooded roads, and ensured that drivers avoided storm-surge-impacted areas.

BPD would like to thank Pirate City and St. Stephens Episcopal School for providing shelter to our officers, and our vendors who ensured officers were well-fed during the storm.