Cape CopCast

A 75% year-over-year jump in patrol calls for service is not a headline that should fade in a day, especially when staffing doesn’t rise at the same pace. In this episode of the Cape CopCast, we sit down with Chief Anthony Sizemore to explain what the second-quarter 2026 numbers actually mean on the street: more calls, more competing priorities, and a real-world squeeze on response times no matter...

Summer looks calm from the outside, but for School Resource Officers in Cape Coral, the work just changes lanes. We sit down with Chief Anthony Sizemore and Sgt. Joe Zalenski to answer a question we hear often: what do SROs do during the summer? The truth is there’s no “off season” when your job is school safety, youth mentorship, and prevention. Between vacation scheduling that has to fit around...

A Belgian Malinois from the Czech Republic walks into a school and somehow manages to be both a laser-focused narcotics detection dog and the sweetest, most approachable face of school safety. That’s K9 Aramis, and we’re joined by his handler, Officer Matt Mills, to explain how a K9 team actually fits into day-to-day life inside Cape Coral schools. We talk through what Aramis is trained to find, w...

In this episode of the Cape CopCast 'Chief's Chat,' we sit down with Chief Sizemore to get real about hurricane preparedness in Cape Coral, from the anxiety many of us feel on June 1 to the hard-earned lessons from storms like Ian. El Nino, La Nina, projected storm counts... none of that changes the bottom line: it only takes one, and readiness beats optimism every time. We break do...

A Memorial Day morning can reset your sense of what “service” really means. We begin with Chief Anthony Sizemore reflecting on the Coral Ridge Memorial Day Ceremony and the way fallen heroes are remembered not just in speeches, but in the families who return every year. When the Eggers family is honored in Washington, DC, it hits home here in Cape Coral, especially as the next generation steps for...

Officer wellness shows up in every call for service, every tough conversation, and every split-second decision. In this episode of the Cape CopCast, we’re joined by Officer Shawn Frazin, a longtime patrol officer who’s stepping into a major new role as our Peer Support Team Leader, to explain what real support looks like inside a police department and why trust is the foundation of everything. We...

National Police Week isn’t just a feel-good tradition for us. It’s a week that holds two truths at the same time: pride in the profession and a clear-eyed look at the sacrifice behind the badge. Hosts Lisa Greenberg and Officer Mercedes Simonds of the Public Affairs Office sit down with Chief Anthony Sizemore to talk about what Police Week looks like at the Cape Coral Police Department. We get int...

In this episode of the Cape CopCast 'Chief's Chat,' we cover: The conviction in the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller The arrests of 15 people in a years-long narcotics investigation by NETFORCE The latest data showing our calls for service are up, our response time is down, and our vacancy rate is the lowest it's been in years Chief Sizemore shares what it was like sit...

School safety gets talked about like it’s only locks, radios, and worst-case scenarios, but the truth is more human and more demanding. Hosts Lisa Greenberg and Officer Mercedes Simonds sit down with Chief Anthony Sizemore to unpack what makes a School Resource Officer effective when the job requires two extremes at once: the ability to respond instantly to danger and the patience to earn trust wi...

In this episode of the Cape CopCast, we sit down with our SWAT Commander, Lt. Doug Coons, and Sniper Team Leader, Sgt. Andrew Miller, to map the real playbook: how a part-time team can deliver full-time readiness, how selection favors calm leaders over just muscles, and what it takes to manage high-risk calls without burning out the people behind the armor. From 60 callouts a year to multi-hour st...

The calmest voice in the worst moment is often a 911 dispatcher, and we want to give that work the spotlight it deserves. Hosts Lisa Greenberg and Officer Mercedes Simonds sit down with Chief Anthony Sizemore for an episode of Cape CopCast 'Chief's Chat.' We’re celebrating National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and the communications team that answers the calls, guides the pu...

A teenage girl watches her world change dramatically when her close friend is hit by a car while crossing the street. N'Evaeh's friend Stella is making a recovery, but the fear and helplessness she faced drove her to do something rare: N'Evaeh put the pain into words, and sent a raw, thoughtful email to Cape Coral leaders, and found out that people will listen when the message is cl...

Wellness in policing isn’t soft. It’s strategy, it’s safety, and it changes what the public gets on the other side of the counter or car door. We sit down with Chief Sizemore to talk about what First Responders Wellness Week looks like at the Cape Coral Police Department and why we’re treating wellness as part of the DNA of the building, not a poster on the wall. That means physical training, nutr...

In this BONUS episode of the Cape CopCast, we sit down with Tara Moser, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, to talk about the stresses of law enforcement in honor of Heart Health Awareness Month(s), observed February-April. Not only is she involved in mental health work, but she also has her own heart health story. Putting a fitted sheet on your bed shouldn’t steal your breath—and when it did, Mose...

In this episode of the Cape CopCast, we sit down with Chaplain Dr. Don Neace as he closes a 50-year chapter of ministry—and a decade walking beside Cape Coral Police and Fire—to share what truly holds first responders together when the worst calls come. Chaplain Neace's presence has spanned swearing-ins, hospital rooms, tragedies, and retirements, always with the same offer: talk, pray, or ve...

In this episode of the Cape CopCast 'Chief’s Chat,' we're talking about a horrific murder case that rocked Cape Coral in the '70s and still shapes our community today. It's been 50 years since nine-year-old Jason Verdow was lured at his bus stop, kidnapped, assaulted, and murdered in 1976. It's a case that challenges the old "stranger danger" stereotype and...

This week, we had two tragic DUI cases: one a fatal crash, and another stopped by a brave 13-year-old who called 911. In this episode of the Cape CopCast 'Chief's Chat,' we walk through what happened, why impaired driving is never an accident, and how early planning—rideshare, a designated driver, or a spare room—prevents tragedy long before the first drink is poured. This sparks a...

Let’s set the record straight. In this episode of the Cape CopCast 'Chief's Chat,' we break down how our department can be fully staffed today and still need to grow to protect response times and service quality tomorrow. Using independent urban growth modeling and clear performance metrics, we walk through Project 35—our 10-year roadmap that aligns people, places, and gear with rea...

In this episode of the Cape CopCast, we pull back the curtain on the quieter machinery that keeps a city safe: Public Service Aides who investigate crashes, document burglaries, gather fingerprints, and build the reports that solve everyday problems. Jennifer Wein, a 14-year Cape Coral PD professional who moved from dispatch to the street, shares how PSAs shoulder the report-heavy calls so officer...

In this episode of the Cape CopCast, we invited Sergeant Morgan Mills and Officer Steven Klackowicz to pull back the curtain on day shift patrol in Cape Coral—where a quiet morning can turn into a hot call in seconds, and a “slow” precinct like the Northwest becomes a laboratory for proactive policing. From the first moments of roll call to the final report, they walk us through the real workflow...

In this episode of the Cape CopCast 'Chief's Chat,' Chief Sizemore explains how we’re scaling the department to match the city’s rapid growth. Over five years, we’ve onboarded hundreds and promoted 70 people, pushing the limits of span of control. To maintain quality, accountability, and training, Patrol is moving from a Bureau within the Police Operations Division to its own Divisi...

A jewelry store robbery, a spouse watching a live surveillance feed, and a suspect arrested across the state before the day was over—this is what happens when real law enforcement partnerships are built long before a crisis. In this episode of the Cape CopCast 'Chief's Chat,' we pull back the curtain on how our FBI Violent Crime Task Force detective, close coordination with the U.S....

Ever wonder why so many vehicle burglaries happen quietly, in minutes, and often on the same street? On this episode of the Cape CopCast, we sit down with Property Crimes Unit Sergeant Jeremy Niland to map the patterns behind vehicle break-ins, stolen cars, and retail theft, and the small, repeatable steps that stop them. From late-night patrol catches to detective follow-ups, you’ll hear how came...

In this week's episode of the Cape CopCast 'Chief's Chat,' we dive into the surge of juveniles on e-bikes, scooters, and even dirt bikes showing up on our streets, and we get real about what’s fun, what’s legal, and what’s flat-out dangerous. From kids riding three-abreast and blocking traffic, to 30 mph sidewalk rides through shopping centers, we unpack the behavior patterns p...

Behind every strong police department stands a support system that cares for those who protect and serve. For Cape Coral Police Department, that backbone includes our Chaplaincy program and Lead Chaplain Dennis Gingerich. Gingerich has dedicated nearly three decades to supporting Cape Coral Police officers through their darkest moments and greatest celebrations. Chaplain Gingerich shares how he tr...