Cape CopCast

Cape Coral Police Department
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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. 1d ago

    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.

    25 min

  2. 5d ago

    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.”

    16 min

  3. 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.

    35 min

  4. May 29

    Chief's Chat #40: How We Use Tech & Teamwork To Stop Crime In-Progress

    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 forward to continue a military legacy. Then the tone shifts hard into the work: an early-morning call about a vehicle burglary in progress escalates into a coordinated response that leads to five arrests, including juveniles and young adults connected to a wider pattern of crime. We walk through what it looks like when policing is both fast and precise, from UAV drones with thermal imaging to K9 tracking, plus support from Lee County Sheriffs' Office Aviation and real-time intelligence that helps connect suspects to warrants and prior cases. We also dig into the question we hear all the time: where do public safety dollars actually go? Staffing, training, supervision, and law enforcement technology are not competing ideas, they are a system that has to work together while the rest of the city still needs help.

    17 min

  5. May 18

    Wellness with Peer Support Team Leader Officer Shawn Frazin

    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 talk through how peer support actually works day to day: a trained team, confidential conversations, and practical help when someone feels stuck and doesn’t even know where to start. We also discuss critical incidents and why a simple follow-up weeks later can matter just as much as the initial debrief. Officer Frazin also shares how crisis intervention training (CIT) and NAMI resources change outcomes on mental health calls by giving officers tools to de-escalate, treat people with dignity, and connect them to services beyond a quick fix. Along the way, we touch on the department’s evolving wellness culture, leadership support, and why asking for help should be seen as strength, not risk.

    20 min

  6. May 15

    Chief's Chat #39: National Police Week

    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 into the moments that build culture and connection, from the formal memorial ceremony with honor guard and reflection, to the simple power of command staff cooking burgers and hot dogs for the troops. We then discuss how we honor line of duty deaths, the risks that don’t always get attention like traffic crashes, and why police suicide and officer mental health have to be part of modern law enforcement leadership. Chief shares a framework we keep coming back to: real remembrance is action. That means doing the job the right way, treating people with respect, and giving full effort on every call. It also means building a supportive police department environment with peer support, trauma resources, and financial wellness education so stress doesn’t quietly pile up.

    15 min

  7. May 8

    Chief's Chat #38: Faster Response Times with More Calls & the Kayla Rincon-Miller Murder Trial

    In this episode of the Cape CopCast 'Chief's Chat,' we cover: The conviction in the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-MillerThe arrests of 15 people in a years-long narcotics investigation by NETFORCEThe 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 yearsChief Sizemore shares what it was like sit with Kayla's family in court, and why we keep saying a guilty verdict is justice but not closure. We also discuss what it takes to build a case from the smallest starting point, including digital forensics, analytics, and a timeline strong enough to stand up in trial. We then talk about how the collaborative NETFORCE arrests underscore the real link between violent crime and narcotics trafficking across Southwest Florida, with a multi-year investigation involving fentanyl, cocaine, MDMA, THC wax, major currency seizures, and 30 firearms removed from circulation. The takeaway is simple: criminals cross borders, so effective policing has to cross them too. We close with the numbers that shape everything: calls for service are climbing fast, yet our Priority 1 response time drops below five minutes. We explain how data-driven policing, redistricting into four precincts, and smart deployment help reduce the time from ring to knock and why we still need staffing growth even with a low vacancy rate.

    27 min

  8. May 1

    Chief's Chat #37: What it Takes to Have an Award-Winning School Resource Officer Program

    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 with kids who may be meeting law enforcement for the first time. We share a story that captures the spirit of the work: Officer Syd Wilcox being surprised with a VFW 'Officer of the Year' honor and why his retirement feels so big to his school community. From there, we dig into what it takes to run an award-winning SRO program in Cape Coral: elite standards, ongoing training, campus drills, crisis intervention skills for youth, and tight partnerships with the Lee County School District and charter schools. We also explain why the assignment is specialized, sought-after, and built on continuity, so relationships can grow over years instead of resetting every year. The conversation goes deeper into the parts people rarely see: hundreds of counseling sessions, sitting in on tough meetings with students and parents, doing threat assessments, and making careful decisions that protect a campus without unnecessarily criminalizing a kid. We also highlight a standout example of trauma-informed support: SRO James Cannon helping launch parenting classes alongside school leaders and youth mental health professionals to meet real community needs.

    16 min
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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
    74
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Cape CopCast
  • Show Website
    Cape CopCast