Bradenton Police Department

Official account of the Bradenton Police Department. This account is not monitored 24/7. Emergencies: 911. Non-emergencies: 941-932-9300.

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

🍕Pizza ... with a side of gator? 🐊 Officer Tolson responded to calls about an 8-foot gator in a 55+ community, intercepted a terrified pizza delivery driver, and ensured a hungry customer was fed (and a hungry gator wasn't). All in a day's work!

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

🚓 BPD's School Resource Officers answer your burning questions before the first day of school! 🏫

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

** UPDATE (7:50 a.m.): The suspect, Lindsey Gore, 34, was located and arrested. She is charged with hit-and-run causing serious bodily injury. The suspect vehicle was recovered. The victim remains hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. **

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

*INFORMATION NEEDED IN HIT-AND-RUN*
We need your help identifying this woman, who was involved in a hit-and-run involving a pedestrian on Saturday around 10:50 PM in the 1900 block of 14th St W. The suspect vehicle is a white Toyota 4Runner with damage to the front headlight.

The victim was walking a bicycle across 14th St W when he was struck. He was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.

If you have any information, please call 941-932-9300 or 941-932-9377. You can also email [email protected] or [email protected].

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

*INFORMATION NEEDED IN HIT-AND-RUN*
We need your help identifying this woman, who was involved in a hit-and-run involving a pedestrian on Saturday around 10:50 PM in the 1900 block of 14th St W. The suspect vehicle is a white Toyota 4Runner with damage to the front headlight.

The victim was walking a bicycle across 14th St W when he was struck. He was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.

If you have any information, please call 941-932-9300 or 941-932-9377. You can also email [email protected] or [email protected].

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

🚔 BPD is pleased to welcome seven new officers to our team! They bring a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds to the force.

Officers Alex Quintero, Alex Roth, Dylan Rusher, and Alex Sanchez were BPD-sponsored recruits and attended Manatee Technical College. Officer Craig Chancey is a recent graduate of the law enforcement academy at Suncoast Technical College. Officers Jaela Mourino and John Preyer come with prior experience from other law enforcement agencies. 🚓

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

⚡️YIKES! ⚡Thursday, just after 5 p.m., one of our officers was wrapping up a call on 6th Ave. W. when a loud clap of thunder made him look up—just in time to watch lightning strike the water tower.

Thankfully, the tower took the hit like a champ. City water towers are equipped with heavy-duty lightning protection, and no one was injured.

Remember: When thunder roars, go indoors. Consider the rumble Mother Nature's version of a warning.

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

👀 Some people are visual learners. We get it. So, our Manatee High School SROs graciously prepared this highly technical, extremely detailed tutorial on how to avoid a school speed zone camera violation. Spoiler alert: The signs are doing most of the work. Enjoy!
👉 https://t.co/sb23ow7PtJ

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

🧸 More than 300 stuffed animals apprehended—and every one of them is one of the good guys! 🧸

The toys were collected during the Suncoast Technical College Law Club’s stuffed animal drive and distributed to BPD and local fire first responders. They’ll help provide comfort, compassion, and a sense of safety to children during emergencies and other difficult moments.

Sometimes, the smallest acts of kindness make the biggest difference. 💙
@yoursuncoast

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

🚍Students return to class in Manatee County on August 10th! Here's a refresher on when you must stop for school buses. There WILL be a quiz on this ... all school year.

Until then, enjoy the lighter summer traffic the rest of this week - and plan to pad your commute time starting Monday! 🚍

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

Whoa, August already? Did we accidentally hit the fast-forward button on summer? Have a great weekend, everyone. And if you need us, we're just a phone call away! 🚓

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

🚸 SCHOOL SPEED ZONE CAMERA ENFORCEMENT RETURNS AUGUST 10! 🚸
Last school year, 17,177 violations were issued. Let's aim for a much less impressive number this year. Pro tip... the easiest way to avoid a violation is also the cheapest: Drive the speed limit.

A few reminders:
• Cameras operate the entire school day
• They enforce both the reduced school zone speed limit (when the lights are flashing) and the regular posted speed limit
• Vehicles traveling 10+ mph over the speed limit receive a $100 violation mailed to the registered owner

👉 A "cheat sheet" with ALL of the school zone speed limits and answers to your frequently asked questions is here: https://t.co/sb23ow7hEb

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

🚩 FAKE NEWS ALERT! 🚩 We noticed this post circulating in a local Facebook group and had a few questions of our own. We're happy to clear things up.

❌First, this wasn't exactly an original masterpiece. The post shared on July 29, 2026, appears to have been copied almost word-for-word from someone else's post made on March 25, 2025. Credit where credit is due... or something like that.

❌Second, there's nothing to indicate the person who originally posted the photo really had the encounter with BPD that the caption describes.

❌Third - the sign in the photo? It's not even there (we checked today), and - according to Google Street View - it hasn't been there for at least four months.

👍And finally, when the sign was there, it was accurate - but had been turned somehow. The sign was posted by FDOT to face drivers traveling out of Pinebrook/Ironwood onto Cortez Road - not for drivers who were already in the dedicated left-turn lane westbound on Cortez.

Moral of the story: Not everything on Facebook starts out true without context. Or ends up true at all.

If you have legitimate questions about traffic laws, road signs, or anything BPD-related, ask us. We'd much rather explain the real rules than fact-check internet archaeology.

Drive safely, buckle up, and maybe verify the date on that viral post before sharing it. 🚔

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

⚠️ TRAINING EXERCISE TODAY ⚠️ BPD's SWAT Team is conducting training exercises today at Saint Stephen's Episcopal School (41st St W & Manatee Ave). Please don't be alarmed if you see BPD vehicles on site!

Our SWAT Team regularly trains in schools and other locations throughout the city to prepare for the situations we hope never happen. These realistic scenarios help officers sharpen their skills, improve teamwork, and practice making critical decisions under pressure.

We're grateful to our community partners for allowing us to use their facilities so our officers can continue training at the highest level.

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

🚨 Operation: Webbed feet. Dirty pants. 🦆
Every call is different. This one involved a family of ducks crossing the road. Mom and Dad made it to the other side. The seven ducklings? Not so much. Instead, they plunged right into the sewer. Rather than bother the fire department, we decided it was an easy job to handle. We were wrong.

Despite what cartoons have taught us, ducklings do not reliably follow directions.
So we did what any highly trained law enforcement agency would do: We pulled up duck sounds on YouTube. (We're not proud. We're also not saying it didn't work.)

After a little quack karaoke, some strategic roadblocks, and one tiny duck relay race, all seven ducklings were reunited with their parents.

The family even received a police escort across additional intersections, including busy 9th Street, with help from the Animal Care Team at The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

Here is an update from @BradentonGov and @ManateeGov on Saturday night's partial roof collapse at Aviata at Bradenton Villas.

[City of Bradenton, Florida - Government @BradentonGov]

The City & @ManateeGov are providing the following joint statement regarding the emergency evacuation at Aviata at Bradenton Villas following Saturday night's partial roof collapse.

Families seeking information about residents should contact Aviata at 800-781-9593.

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

This morning, BPD’s Elder Fraud Unit - Detective Jim Curulla and Detective Deana McNeal - had the opportunity to appear on @mysuncoast @mysuncoastview and share five things that are common in nearly every scam - aka the 5 p’s of fraud:
🚩 Pretend: Scammers pose as a trusted person or organization (law enforcement, government agency, utility company, bank, etc.)

🚩🚩 Problem or Prize: They claim a fake crisis exists, such as an arrest warrant, missed jury duty, or a hacked bank account. Or, they might claim you won a lottery or sweepstakes but need to cover fees or taxes to collect it.

🚩 Pressure: They rush you to act immediately and tell you not to hang up or verify the story.

🚩 Pay: They demand untraceable payment methods like gift cards, cryptocurrency, or even gold bars.

You can learn more about the 5 p’s, common scams, and what to do if you’re a victim by downloading our Elder Fraud booklet on our website. Or, stop by BPD - we still have some printed booklets available in our lobby!
🔗 https://t.co/P6sAut9HRN

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

Here is the latest from @ManateeGov regarding Saturday's partial structural collapse at Aviata at Bradenton Villas. BPD assisted with traffic control, ensuring multiple EMS vehicles could access the area and safely transport residents to sister facilities in multiple counties.
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By approximately 3 a.m., all residents of Aviata at Bradenton Villas had been safely evacuated and relocated following the partial structural collapse at the facility.

Throughout the night, Manatee County Public Safety coordinated the relocation effort alongside the Bradenton Fire Department, the City of Bradenton, facility staff and regional partners. Manatee County EMS, our transportation crews, and ambulance and accessible transportation resources from Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties worked together to safely transport residents to sister facilities.

All residents are accounted for, and the facility remained in contact with families throughout the evacuation and relocation process.

We are grateful to our transportation crews, every first responder, healthcare partner, transportation provider and facility staff member who worked through the night to ensure residents were safely relocated.

At this time, no injuries have been reported.

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

UPDATE #2 in the Aviata Assisted Living structural collapse: The Bradenton Police Department assisted with traffic control as @ManateeGov's Public Safety Department and Emergency Management, @BradentonGov and Bradenton Fire Department ensured all residents of Aviata were transported to new facilities. The last resident left the building, and the building was secured around 3 a.m. There were no injuries.

When we receive more information about where patients were transported and the partial roof collapse, we will pass it along.

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

** UPDATE: Multiple ambulances are assisting with relocating residents to new facilities. Please steer clear of 15th St E, north of Manatee Avenue, as well as 1st Ave E and 2nd Ave E. We appreciate your help! **

[Manatee County Government @ManateeGov]

Manatee County Public Safety and Emergency Medical Services (EMS), in coordination with the Bradenton Fire Department, City of Bradenton and regional partners, are assisting with the evacuation and relocation of approximately 157 residents from Aviata at Bradenton Villas following a significant structural collapse at the facility.

Transportation and alternate accommodations are being arranged for affected residents. Due to the number of individuals requiring relocation, regional partners in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are providing additional transportation resources, including ambulances and accessible transit vehicles.

“Our priority is making sure every resident is safely relocated and cared for during what is undoubtedly a difficult and disruptive situation,” said Manatee County Commissioner Amanda Ballard. “I’m grateful to our Public Safety team, Bradenton Fire Department and our regional partners for stepping up quickly to help these residents and their families.”

At this time, no injuries have been reported. Public safety personnel and facility representatives continue to coordinate the relocation process.
Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

BPD is assisting with traffic near the site of a structural collapse at Aviata at Bradenton Villas.
Please see the information provided by Manatee County:

Manatee County Public Safety and Emergency Medical Services (EMS), in coordination with the Bradenton Fire Department, City of Bradenton and regional partners, are assisting with the evacuation and relocation of approximately 157 residents from Aviata at Bradenton Villas, 105 15th St. E., following a significant structural collapse at the facility.

Bradenton Fire Department personnel and Manatee County EMS District Chiefs responded to the scene to assist with the evacuation and ensure residents could be safely relocated. Manatee County Emergency Management was also notified and is assisting with coordination as needed.

Transportation and alternate accommodations are being arranged for the affected residents. Due to the number of individuals requiring relocation, the response includes assistance from regional partners in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, which are providing additional transportation resources, including ambulances and accessible transit vehicles.

At this time, no injuries have been reported, and no additional emergency response units have been requested. Public safety personnel and facility representatives continue to coordinate the relocation process.

Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

For more information about Manatee County Government, visit https://t.co/49ZX51k6Ll or call [phone] or visit Manatee County, Florida Government.@ManateeGov

[Bradenton Police Department @BradentonPD]

The Bradenton Police Department honors the memory of Officer Zachary Butterfield, who died by suicide one year ago. Below is a message sent from Chief of Police Josh Cramer to BPD employees today. We hope you'll read it and share it. If you or someone you care about is in crisis, please call or text 988. @988Lifeline

It was a year ago this afternoon that we were shocked and saddened to hear the news of the death of Zach Butterfield. His suicide was a first for our department, but sadly, one of several that agencies in the Tampa Bay area experienced in the months prior to and following his death.

Since then, with the permission of his wife Michelle and parents Eric and Cathy, I have spoken about Zach’s suicide at numerous community engagements, including a presentation at the FBI National Academy. I sincerely appreciate their courage to allow us to discuss not just Zach’s death, but also his life, as they understand that a way families can potentially avert the tragedy that befell them is to openly talk about mental health.

Mental health is still health. Just as we encourage each of you to remain physically fit, please take the time every day to find activities that work for you to remain mentally fit, too. Sergeant Wollard and the Peer Support Team are tasked with finding programs and resources to assist with our wellness. We all owe them great thanks for their duties performed in the immediate aftermath of Zach’s death, but especially for further developing our wellness initiatives.

While we all continue to miss Zach, please look out for each other. Recognize when someone doesn’t seem quite right. Please – do not be afraid to ask tough questions, and encourage them to seek whatever help they may need. Because you never know when it’s time that someone needs help.  

Your Chief,
Josh Cramer