How safe is Bonita? I woke up at 6 a.m. to find out.

Bonita Springs isn’t Chicago.

You seldom hear of drive-by shootings, robberies or drug-related murders.

But that doesn’t mean the potential for these crimes aren’t possible.

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, any community can see an increase in crime unless everyone pulls together and keeps an eye out for strange activity in their neighborhood.

That’s the message they tried to educate the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce members about at a breakfast recently.
The speech included three officers from the department who specialize in gangs and human trafficking, a growing problem that the department is tackling.

“You aren’t going to walk out of your house and get shot, but I think Lee County is addressing any potential problems,” said Mike Stanforth, he has been with the gang and graffiti unit of the department for nine years.

Setting up shop in a town like Bonita may seem easy to criminals, but there are signs when unwelcome guests are moving in.

“To the average person, graffiti or gang signs don’t mean anything specific but to me, it’s a lot of crucial information,” Stanforth said. “I know what (the criminal element) are up to and we can stop it early.”

Stanforth said they were successful especially when it came to determining what kind of gangs were in what areas across Lee County.

“We stopped two groups already, and they went through our jail,” he said. “We locate, arrest, track and monitor criminals. We make their lives miserable.”

The community though is the best connection officers have to areas that may be vulnerable to gangs.

“In Bonita you can find hard core gangs because you have the Latin Kings but they are disorganized,” Stanforth said. “People just need to keep their eyes open.”

Eyes aren’t the only thing, people have to ask questions and a lot of them.

Detective Shawn Ramsey, who has been with the sheriff’s office for 14 years, is in charge of the human trafficking unit.

Along with his officers he asks all sorts of questions regarding a person’s legal status, where their paychecks go and how they arrived in the United States.

Statistics show that up to 20,000 people are trafficked into the U.S. annually and Ramsey deals with that reality in his own backyard as the human smuggling industry grows.

“We thought we abolished slavery years ago, but it just changed and it’s back again,” Ramsey said.

The ramifications of that industry are evident in places throughout Lee County where officers have identified 15 brothels with people promised a better future if they left Latin and Central America.

Instead, they got a one-way ticket to slavery.

“I’ve seen a person handcuffed in a closet and forced into servitude,” said JD Loethen, a lieutenant with the sheriff’s office for 13 years. “A lot of times the trafficking will be hidden for months and the person won’t realize they are being trafficked.”
Ramsey said the human trafficking industry is a $9 billion dollar a year industry — a very attractive number to criminals — that entices unsuspecting people.

“There are no programs to help the trafficked people, they are freed and other than deportation back to the country where there captors end up after they are freed from jail, they are given the same package a Cuban refugee gets,” Loethen said. “That makes our job harder and most of the time, the slave doesn’t come to us, we have to find them.”

That’s part of the reason the sheriff’s office speaks in front of groups and educates the public on awareness.

“It’s always a quality of life question and Bonita is safe. We work hard with the city council and mayor to do it,” said Lt. Morgan Bowden, of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Bonita Springs substation. “We gave protection on water, land and everywhere in Bonita Springs.”

Swimming lessons at the 'Y' may save lives

Kids are vulnerable to water despite the belief that children have a natural tendency to swim if they fall in a pool.

But that’s a misconception that can lead to deadly results.

Not all pools are the same and neither are kids, which is why the Bonita Springs YMCA is teaching children ages six months to 12 to swim.

“From the beginning, we just introduce them to the water and make them comfortable,” said Donald Quiggle, aquatics and sports program director at the YMCA.

He teaches the half-hour classes with the help of other instructors who work with the younger babes.

“They have to get past that fear and the mental block they have,” Quiggle said.

The mental block can be a big one for some, but Quiggle has structured the classes based on a child’s age and level of comfort in the water.

The classes for children 6 months to 22 months are taught with parents in the pool and kids 3 to 12 years old take the classes alone.

“In Florida, there are outdoor pools everywhere and it’s important the kids are comfortable if any accident may occur,” Quiggle said.

Alison Spencer has watched her son Christian, 5, from the pool deck during several of his classes.

“It’s a fun summer activity and he can learn movements and he can wade in the water,” Spencer said. Her son has attended the last two sessions at the Y. “I wanted him to learn to swim and do the styles of swimming.”

Christian got that chance during a recent class in which he practiced his stroke and breathing using a floating device.

“We go as high as them learing the swimming strokes but they don’t compete here,” Quiggle said.

During the class, Quiggle also teaches kids how to put on a life vest and how to use it in the water.

Jonathan Munoz, 5, of San Carlos Park, put on a life vest and jumped in the water.

“It seemed like a good place to put him. He learns a lot and the YMCA programs are good,” said Leticia Munoz, Jonathan’s mom.

Summertime presents unique challenges for kids because they are more exposed to water activities than at other times of the year.

That’s why Quiggle focuses so heavily on swimming to the edge of the pool if kids fall in.

“It’s the summer and there are so many activities with the pool and it’s important that they know what to do,” he said.
Eileen Brower of North Naples brought her son Preston, 5, to the class.

Preston did swimming courses last year, but his mom wanted him to brush up on his skills.

“They do a really good job so I brought him back. They are so friendly and helpful,” Brower said. “I want him to swim and be safe in the water.”

Gymnastics class works on kids' focus, attention

Little kids are flexible.

They like to jump, tumble and run.

But what do you do with kids who are bouncing off the walls?

Take them to the Bonita Springs Recreational Center and sign them up for a unique class that's more than just flips and bouncing.

It’s gymnastics and most kids agree it’s fun even if it tests their skill, focus and ability to control their bodies.

“I like to see kids active, the more they are active the happier I am,” said Alecia Bell, 37.

She teachers the one-hour class where kids can let it all hang out — sometimes literally — with a little help from Bell, of course.

“A lot of it is a foundation for sports, and how to work in groups and be patient,” said Bell, of Bonita Springs.

And despite working with children ages five through 10, Bell seems to keep her patience with ease. Even the parents, who can sit in on every class, are awed by Bell's ability to teach kids and keep them entertained at the same time.

“She likes the kids and Alecia is good with the details,” said Edina Hepokoski, 36, of Naples.

She signed up her two children, Heidi, 7, and Luke, 3, to keep them busy but hopes Heidi will compete professionally one day.

“(Alecia) also pays attention to safety and is really good with the kids,” Hepokoski said.

Bell has been coaching since she was 17 after deciding that the Illinois State Championship Title was the end of the line for her and her Gymnastics career.

“I knew I wasn't going to do it in college and I didn't want to compete (anymore). I told my coach that same day (that I won) that I was done,” Bell said. “He told me to come back the next day and coach. I've been coaching ever since.”

Bell decided to teach gymnastics at the Rec Center with the hope of getting keeps active.

She teaches the six-week session throughout the year. But her first big break came when her doctor took her off the Gymnastics floor because of an unrelated broken ankle.

Mark Krafjack, 28, is glad Bell is back. He signed up his seven-year-old son Tyler so that he could work on his flexibility and strength.

“He is in Tae Kwon Do so it's good if he can get more tumbling. It will help him in competition,” said Krafjack, of Bonita Springs.

During the class, kids start out with stretching different body parts and Bell isn't ashamed to get right in there and do it with them.

“Let's go guys. You can do it,” she says making sure to look at all the kids as they squirm from the discomfort of stretching. “Shake it out. Shake it out.”

The kids also learn to focus and work on something new every class.

Silvia Hernandez, 30, signed her daughter Elizabeth, 7, to the class because it would be a good way to get her out of the house and active.

“I wanted her to learn something and she likes to do it,” said Hernandez, of Bonita Springs. “She wanted to do it because she loves jumping around.”