[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of April 27, 2012. To be added to the station's mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org.]
CAPTAIN ERIC VINTERO’S MESSAGE
The Officers at Richmond Station have been working extremely hard to ensure public safety and reduce the crime rates in the District. The 2012 first quarter crime statistics for the Richmond District look good in comparison to the same time last year. YTD, violent crime is down 17%. Violent crimes include homicide (none YTD), rape (none YTD), robbery (-32% YTD), and aggravated assaults (-3% YTD). Property crimes which include burglary, auto theft, auto burglary, and personal/other theft is slightly up 5% YTD. We will be working hard to prevent and investigate the property crimes in the district. All SFPD crime statistics are available on the SFPD website under the COMPSTAT link.
Crime Patterns/Trends:
Auto burglaries continue to happen in areas where tourists visit and park their vehicles. Burglaries of automobiles happen in every large city and we need your help in reducing these crimes in the City. Thieves frequent tourist areas looking for cars which have items of personal property visible in the passenger area. Most often thieves will smash a window to enter a vehicle, which bypasses the passive alarm system found in modern vehicles. Remember, an auto burglary can be completed in less than 5 seconds! The best way to prevent being a victim of auto burglary is by removing ALL personal items from your vehicle before you leave it unattended. If you decide to place items in your trunk, do this blocks away from where you are going to park. Many auto-burglars loiter and watch for people who hide valuables in the trunk of their car. Officers at Richmond Station have increased uniformed patrols, plain-clothes patrols, educational outreach, and have partnered with other specialized units within the SFPD to bring needed resources to these areas. We have identified several possible suspects as well. The majority of the victims continue to be tourists in rental cars who leave luggage, GPS devices, and electronics in plain-view.
Richmond Station has seen a slight spike in auto-burglaries in the following areas: Point Lobos (from 43rd Avenue to the Great Highway), Golden Gate Park (especially in the area around MLK and Tea Garden Drive, and JFK/Great Highway), and the area around the Legion of Honor. Richmond Station has also been working closely with the US Park Police to share suspect information and increase patrols in the areas where we share borders. Hundreds of auto-burglary advisory educational pamphlets have been placed on the windshields of vehicles in these problem areas. Please call 911 to report any suspicious persons casing vehicles.
Home burglaries, especially burglaries of apartments continue to happen. They are occurring all over the district and the only pattern is that the majority of them are occurring at apartment buildings which have a large shared common area garage. Oftentimes, the burglar gains entry because the front door or garage door is left open. Bicycles are usually the items most frequently taken. Many of the victims of these burglaries do not know the serial number of their bicycle which makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to recover. Many of the bikes are stolen and quickly sold. Please make a point to document the serial number of your bicycle. Also, remember to lock all of your doors and windows. Get to know your neighbors and establish neighborhood watch groups. SF SAFE will respond to your residence and conduct a free safety inspection and give you tips on how to “harden the target.” Overall, burglary is slightly down 1% TYD. The Officers at Richmond station track and follow up on known parolees and individuals on probation who commit property crimes such as burglary. We will continue to conduct increased patrols in areas where we see patterns (we review all reports daily). Please call 911 to report any suspicious persons or activity.
Traffic Issues:
Richmond Station deploys its resources based on traffic accident data and community input. Officers on patrol are also vigilant and take enforcement action when they on-view violations. Officers continue to cite motorists who speed on Fulton , as this Street has been identified as being one of our most problematic corridors. Due to numerous complaints from residents about stop sign violators, the Balboa Street corridor has recently received extra attention. Over the past several weeks, numerous citations for stop sign violations have been issued. We will continue to run pedestrian decoy operations, especially in areas around senior citizen centers. Two DUI checkpoints in the Richmond district were conducted by the traffic company over the past two months, one on Geary and 9th Avenue , and another on Geary and Steiner. Richmond Station also has two radar trailers which are often deployed on the most problematic corridors. We will be sending more officers to radar gun training so that we will have the ability to issue even more citations for speeding. Traffic Safety is a high priority and we will continue to utilize our resources wisely in an effort to maximize traffic calming effects throughout the district.
Doyle Drive Closure:
Due to the Closure of Doyle Drive, there will be heavy traffic congestion in the Richmond District this weekend. The MTA and SFPD Traffic Company will be providing much needed resources to Park Presidio Boulevard to assist with traffic control. South bound traffic from Park Presidio will be allowed to make a left turn onto eastbound California and Geary Boulevard . Please allow yourself extra travel time if you need to travel through this area. Also, if you are a pedestrian, bicyclist, or motorist, remember to be defensive at all times.
Our next Community meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 7pm. It will be in the Community Room, here at Richmond Station.
NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 04/21/12 at 12:41am, plainclothes officers were on Lincoln Way near the Great Highway. They saw the suspect standing in the intersection flailing his arms and screaming incoherently at the officers. They stopped to do a well being check on the male and saw that he was very jittery and nervous. When they asked what was wrong the suspect told them “I am nervous because I am on probation and I have meth in my pocket.” The suspect was also in possession of syringes. The 25 year old male was charged with narcotic and probation violations.
On 04/23/12 at 2:50am, the victim was in his sleeping area of an apartment when he was confronted by the suspect, his roommate. The roommate was upset with the victim as he was watching adult videos on his computer and the roommate felt that this was disrespectful as the roommates mother also lived in the apartment. The roommate suddenly jumped on the victim and punched him several times in the face, knocking out one of the victim’s teeth. The victim also sustained several lacerations to his face and was finally able to get out of the house. The suspect, a 42 year old male was charged with aggravated assault.
On 04/25/12 at 12:50pm, officers were conducting traffic enforcement in the area of Fulton and 37th Ave. An officer made a traffic stop on a vehicle that was traveling at 40 MPH in a 25 MPH zone. It was determined that the driver, a 24 year old female was driving on a suspended license and had a warrant for her arrest for reckless driving. She was charged accordingly.
On 04/25/12, a SFPD Mounted Unit was on a pathway in the area of Chain of Lakes Drive inside Golden Gate Park. The officer came across the suspect who had been cited several times in the past for breaking off tree limbs and disturbing the natural habitat of the park. This time the suspect walked out of a wooded area with logs and tree limbs and was ordered by the officer to place the items on the ground. The suspect told the “I can do whatever I want.” At that time another Mounted Unit arrived on scene and the suspect complied. The suspect, a 56 year old male, was charged with a Park Code prohibiting the removal of trees, wood, etc.
NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 04/13/12 at 3pm, the victim was walking on the unit block of Annapolis Terrace. As she passed a home the suspect appeared from some bushes and raised and lowered his arm, cutting her arm with a sharp object. The victim said she grabbed the suspect by the wrist and kicked him in the chest. The suspect fell to the ground and the victim fled. The injury to the victim was minor and she refused further medical treatment. The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic male, 35-39 years of age, with long matted hair, dark clothing and facial hair.
On 04/19/12 a woman attended an event in Golden Gate Park . She checked her coat, worth $12,000, into the coat check upon her arrival. When she left for the evening the coat check was closed and upon her return the following day, she discovered her coat was gone.
On 04/21/12 at 5:15am, officers were called to the 2800 block of Clay on a burglary that had just occurred. The caller had reported that she had heard the sound of glass breaking and when she looked out her window she observed a male walking down the street riding one bike and pushing another. She then saw that the window was smashed on the bike shop across the street. The owners arrived later and told the officers that they were in fact missing two bicycles and the suspect had gained entry into the business by prying open both the front gate and door. The suspect was described as a male wearing dark clothes and a bike helmet.
Between 04/21/12, 8pm and 04/22/12, 12:30pm on the 6100 block of California a suspect gained entry into a garage and broke into a vehicle parked inside. The suspect took an iPod. The locking mechanism for the front door of the building was not working properly.
Between 04/21/12, 10pm and 04/22/12, 11am on the 5600 block of California a suspect gained entry into a garage of a multi-unit building and broke into a vehicle. The suspect took an iPod. There were no signs of forced entry.
On 04/22/12 at 1:30pm, the victim was sitting on her front steps on the 3000 block of Fulton St . A vehicle stopped in front of her home and the passenger, a female asked for help. She told the victim that they were lost and could the victim make a call for her. The victim walked over to the car and dialed the number provided by the passenger. The victim told the male that answered the phone that his sister was lost and looking for him. The male on the phone then asked to speak to his sister and the victim handed the passenger her phone. The driver of the vehicle then grabbed the phone and took off north on 7th Ave from Fulton with the victim’s phone. The vehicle was described as a gold compact with black trim on the sides. The passenger was a Hispanic female, 16yrs with black hair, wearing a black t-shirt. The driver was a Hispanic female with a pink t-shirt and blonde streaks in her bangs.
Between 04/22/12, 2pm and 04/23/12, 6:30am on the 800 block of 47th Ave , a suspect gained entry into a garage
and took a bike. The victim stated that the front door to the building is often left unlocked.
On 04/23/12 at 12:50am, officers were called to a report of a gun related call on the 3900 block of Geary Bl. The officers learned from a witness that he observed two suspects punching the victim several times knocking him to the ground, where they continued to punch him. The witness separated the parties and the victim went inside a business to clean up and the suspects fled on foot. While the victim was inside one of the suspects returned and removed a handgun from his sweatshirt pocket. The suspect stood for a moment and then fled again. He was seen in a silver BMW with tinted windows and a loud exhaust. The suspects were described as Asian males in their mid 20’s, one being 6’2, 240lbs wearing a gray sweatshirt. The victim was uncooperative and refused medical treatment.
On 04/24/12, between 7pm and 8:30pm on the 800 block of 31st Ave, a suspect gained entry into a home and began to pack up items taken from inside, into the victim’s vehicle which was parked in the garage. It is unknown if the victim scared the suspect off upon returning home, but it appears nothing was taken although the house had been ransacked. There were no signs of forced entry.
On 04/25/12 at 2:15pm, an 8 year old boy came into Richmond Station with his dad to turn in money he had found on the sidewalk the previous day. The young man was told that if it was unclaimed after 90 days, he could claim it.
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