Cape CopCast

Cape Coral Police Department
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Government
  • Updated Monthly

Welcome to the "Cape CopCast," the official podcast of the Cape Coral Police Department. Hosted by Officer Mercedes Simonds, and Lisa Greenberg from our Public Affairs team, this podcast dives into the heart of Cape Coral PD's public safety, community initiatives, and the inner workings of our police department. Each episode brings you insightful discussions, interviews with key community figures, and expert advice on safety. 

  1. 2d ago

    Introducing our new Public Affairs Officer!

    Public Affairs at a police department looks simple from the outside until you see the moving parts up close. We sit down with Officer Steven Klakowicz as he steps into the Public Affairs Officer role, and we get honest about what the job really is: social media management, media relations, internal coordination, stats and reports, awards tracking, podcast production, and storytelling. Officer Klakowicz will be replacing Officer Mercedes Simonds in the Public Affairs Office and will take over as host of the Cape CopCast with Lisa Greenberg. We also talk about what changes when you come from patrol into an office role, and why that transition can be exciting instead of limiting. Public Affairs lets us create work, get out with units, and highlight the parts of policing most people never see. That matters for community trust, but it also matters for recruitment, because applicants and laterals may judge a department by what they find online. When our content reflects real culture, real standards, and real people, it becomes a practical recruiting tool rather than a highlight reel. Along the way, we dig into why long-form audio like a police podcast gives more context than short videos, and Officer Klakowicz shares what he wants to build next: bite-sized mini documentaries, more ride-alongs, and more officer spotlights that show what the job looks like day to day. We wrap with a new recurring idea, “Klak's Facts,” because sometimes a little humor and a “useless” word fact is exactly what makes public safety communications feel approachable.

  2. 5d ago

    Chief's Chat #45: The Death of Rose Marie Gayhart with Det. Mike Lasalandra

    A skull spotted by a kayaker in Cape Coral in 2024 became the answer to a missing persons case from 1985. Chief Anthony Sizemore hosts a special Chief Chat with Violent Crimes Detective Mike Lasalandra to explain what the community saw near Kismet Parkway and why that forensic excavation mattered. The scientific work takes time, and we break down the reality of medical examiner testing, DNA extraction, and why identification can’t be rushed when the goal is truth that holds up.   Once the DNA came back, the name was Rose Marie Gayhart, a woman who moved from Western New York to Southwest Florida in the mid-80s, worked service jobs, and then vanished. We walk through the timeline: the documented relationship turmoil, the confusing early jurisdiction between New York and Florida, and the witness reports that place Rose voluntarily getting into a red pickup truck with an unknown man. We also dig into how missing person investigations worked before cameras, cell phones, and modern data sharing, and why leads often left families with nothing but questions.   Then the case turns toward what might still be solvable today: people, places, and patterns. We discuss the Jim’s Pub sightings and a potential link to Roland Davis, later associated with violent crimes and known to frequent the same areas. Most importantly, we share what we need from the public now. If you remember a red pickup truck, a regular at Jim’s Pub, or a conversation that never sat right, your tip could matter.  If you have any information in the death of Rose Marie Gayhart, call 23-229-4331 and reference case number 13011608. To see our news release on this case, click here: https://capecops.com/2026/07/24/cape-coral-police-identify-remains-in-1985-missing-person-case/

  3. Jul 20

    Keeping Kids Safe Online with SVU Detectives Trish Gould & Hailey DiGiovanni

    A single DM can turn into a case file, and most families never see it coming. We sit down with Cape Coral Police Department Special Victims Unit Detectives Trish Gould and Hailey DiGiovanni to talk plainly about internet crimes against children, what they’re seeing right now, and why the digital world moves faster than a kid’s judgment. We get specific about how these situations start on everyday platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and even games like Roblox. We also explain the behind-the-scenes pipeline many parents don’t know exists: social platforms can flag suspected minor activity and send reports through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which then routes cyber tips to local law enforcement. If your child thinks a disappearing message means “no consequences,” this conversation is the reality check. We also dig into "sextortion" and how it often begins with consensual sharing before threats, pressure, and fear take over, including scenarios tied to teen relationships. Then we shift to what helps: open, ongoing talks; knowing passcodes; checking devices regularly; reviewing hidden folders and recently deleted content; and using iPhone Screen Time to spot high-use apps.

  4. Jul 17

    Chief's Chat #44: What Actually Works to Reduce Juvenile Crime?

    Summer crime doesn’t have to be a rerun. We sit down with Chief Sizemore to unpack what we’re actually seeing with juvenile vehicle burglaries and car hopping, and how targeted work behind the scenes is changing the numbers in Cape Coral. If you’ve ever wondered whether prevention can be more than a slogan, this conversation gets specific about what’s working and why it’s making a measurable dent in property crime. We break down the Juvenile Task Force model and the real advantage of school resource officers: they already know the kids, the schools, and the families, so they can build positive connections while also keeping eyes on the small group most likely to reoffend. We also talk through secure juvenile checks for youth on community control, juvenile probation, or home detention, and why those checks lower recidivism by reinforcing the terms meant to support rehabilitation. Along the way, we dig into the reality of consequences, the role parents play, and how the system is designed to give juveniles a path back, not a life sentence. We also get into modern policing tools like the real-time crime center and how faster identification changes outcomes. Then we pivot to back-to-school safety: school zone speed cameras returning, the first-week traffic surge, and how to re-learn your routes now so you’re not surprised when buses, bikes, e-bikes, crossing guards, and distracted kids fill the streets again.

  5. Jul 10

    Chief's Chat #43: 75% Increase in Calls and the Truth About Flock Cameras

    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 how hard we optimize deployment. If you’ve felt like the city is simply “busier,” we connect that gut feeling to the data and the planning decisions it forces. Then we dig into the kind of call that changes the way you look at “routine.” What started as a suspicious person report led to an officer finding a man hiding in a home's pool bathroom with multiple firearms and camo clothing, who said he was waiting for the homeowners to return. We talk through how the neighbor’s calls and our quick action may've prevented something catastrophic, and how community policing works when people share information early, confirm what’s normal, and trust officers to respond. Finally, we address a topic that keeps swirling online: license plate reader cameras, including Flock Safety. We explain how these cameras fit into an organic investigative process, why they are not a “magic bullet,” what safeguards exist, and how privacy and the Fourth Amendment apply differently to private spaces versus public roadways.

  6. Jun 19

    Chief's Chat #42: How Cape Coral SROs Stay Busy During Summer ft. Sgt. Joe Zalenski

    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 strict school-year coverage, summer school obligations, comprehensive training, juvenile crime prevention, and summer camps, the calendar fills up quickly. We dig into the training and why it’s treated as a life-or-death priority. SROs qualify to the same standards as SWAT, and we talk about what that means in practice, from live fire range time to scenario-based drills inside a modular shoot house. The idea is simple and sobering: under pressure you don’t rise to the moment, you fall back to your training. Schools demand a different kind of response, so the training has to match the environment and the stakes. Then we zoom out to summer youth crime prevention. When school lets out, hotspots can shift, juvenile groups congregate, and bad decisions can escalate fast. We explain how camps, PAL programs, and relationship-based community policing work alongside juvenile sanction checks with probation partners to lower recidivism and steer kids back toward better choices.

  7. Jun 15

    The K9 Team Behind School Safety: Officer Matt Mills & Aramis

    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, why THC vapes have become a real issue on campuses, and how targeted backpack or bag sniffs can support administrators when they ask for help. Officer Mills also shares why temperament matters so much for a school-based K9: a dog has to be safe for student interactions, but ready to switch into work mode instantly. Along the way, we get a look at the broader mission of community policing, including K9 demos at youth centers, PAL programs, camps, and community groups that help kids see officers as people they can trust. Summer brings a different rhythm, not a break. We cover how SROs still support summer school and camps, why training ramps up when school is out, and what law enforcement watches for when juveniles have more idle time. Officer Mills explains the prevention side too: working with juvenile probation, monitoring at-risk kids, and pushing for outcomes that get them off probation and back on track. If you’ve ever wondered what a K9 handler’s life looks like after the shift ends, Officer Mills gets real about it: the training never stops, the dog comes home, vacations take planning, and the responsibility is closer to raising a kid than having a “work partner.”

  8. Jun 5

    Chief's Chat #41: How CCPD is already prepared for Hurricane Season

    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 down what our police department actually does as a storm approaches, and the moment we have to stop responding for safety. We discuss how we stage personnel before conditions deteriorate, what happens inside the building when sustained winds hit 45 mph, and the personal prep basics we expect from our own staff: a real family plan, cash on hand, prescriptions, uniforms, food, and the items that matter when you are working around the clock. After the storm, we explain “first push,” the initial damage assessment that guides everything that comes next, and how alpha/bravo scheduling helps us handle both regular calls for service and hurricane recovery missions. That includes welfare checks, traffic control, generator deployments, protecting limited fuel resources, supporting points of distribution, and keeping the city moving toward normal as fast as possible.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Welcome to the "Cape CopCast," the official podcast of the Cape Coral Police Department. Hosted by Officer Mercedes Simonds, and Lisa Greenberg from our Public Affairs team, this podcast dives into the heart of Cape Coral PD's public safety, community initiatives, and the inner workings of our police department. Each episode brings you insightful discussions, interviews with key community figures, and expert advice on safety. 

Information

  • Creator
    Cape Coral Police Department
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    79
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Cape CopCast
  • Show Website
    Cape CopCast

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