[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of February 3, 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 this past week as we continue our efforts to reduce crime levels, ensure public safety, and manage traffic concerns. I would like to thank each and every one of you who e-mailed me areas of concern for traffic enforcement. I have shared these concerns with the Officers at Richmond Station and we will do our best to address all of these issues. The Officers at Richmond Station issued approximately 275 citations this past week. Many of the citations were for speeding and for failing to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. Many of the vehicles were towed due to the fact that the driver had a suspended driver’s license. Traffic safety is a high priority and we will continue to conduct various operations to promote vehicle and pedestrian safety.
A well know prolific auto-burglar (who is on parole for burglary) was arrested in Golden Gate Park this week by two plain-clothes Officers from Richmond Station. The parolee had a screwdriver in has hand and also had narcotic paraphernalia on his person. It is a well known fact that a small percentage of criminals are responsible for a vast majority of crime (especially when it comes to property crime). We are hoping that this fine arrest will reduce the number of auto-burglaries in the area. Officers at Richmond Station will be conducting extra patrols and enforcement operations in areas where we see patterns of crimes develop. Please do no hesitate to call the police to report any suspicious activity. I also encourage you to take advantage of San Francisco SAFE (Safety Awareness for Everyone www.sfsafe.org) San Francisco SAFE engages, educates, and empowers San Franciscans to build safer neighborhoods through crime prevention education and public safety services that result in stronger, more vibrant and resilient communities. They also provide free residential security surveys and can educate you on ways to make your home more secure.
We have had several reports of elderly victims falling for the Grandmother/Grandfather scam so I have included in this newsletter a release sent out by our Economic Crime Unit. Please warn the elderly members of your family that this is occurring and provide them with the information included in the release.
The next Richmond District community meeting will be held at Richmond Station on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 7pm.
WESTERN UNION GRANDMOTHER/GRANDFATHER SCAM
The San Francisco Police Department has noticed an increase in occurrences of the “Western Union Grandmother/Grandfather” scam. This is a fraud in which a suspect telephones a victim, claiming to be a relative. The calls are intended to lower the victim’s guard using feigned familiarity and frighten them into wiring money with the report of a tragedy. When a victim picks up the phone, she may hear something like, “Grandma! It’s me! I’m in jail.”
The suspect addresses the victim in familiar terms—like “Grandma” or “Uncle”—to gain the victim’s confidence. The caller claims to be in some sort of peril at a distant location and in need of money immediately. For instance, the caller claims to have been mugged or arrested while traveling on vacation. The suspect asks the victim to wire money by Western Union , Money Gram or similar means. The money is relayed electronically to a remote account, often out of the country. The caller will often express embarrassment and ask the victim to keep the information “just between us.”
The San Francisco Police Department is advising people to be on guard for this scam. Anyone receiving a call that they suspect may be fraud can take the following steps to safeguard themselves.
– Be wary of unsolicited calls requesting an urgent wire transfer of funds.
– When receiving a suspicious call, don’t provide information and verify the caller. If the caller claims to be your son or granddaughter, ask, “Which one?”
– Ask questions that you would both know, but a stranger would not, like “What is the name of your dog?” or “Where did you go to elementary school?”
– Call back the family member who claims to be in distress. Don’t ask the caller for the number; if you don’t have the number; call another family member for the number.
– Scammers will often share information with each other about gullible victims. If you recognize the fraud, tell the caller you know, and then hang up.
NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 01/26/12 at 10:25pm, the caller reported 3 suspicious persons, who had followed behind the caller and her husband as they walked to their apartment building. The 3 suspects then went to a vehicle parked nearby. Officers responded and located the vehicle and suspects. Two of the three suspects were in possession of narcotics and one had an outstanding warrant for his arrest from Modesto Police. They were booked accordingly.
On 01/29/12 at 2:36am, officers were on patrol eastbound on Clement St at 12th Ave. The officers could hear loud
music coming from the vehicle behind them which also did not have it’s headlights on. The officers pulled over to let the car pass and then conducted a traffic stop at 9th and Clement. When the officers asked for his driver’s license he told them he did not have one. When they asked who the car belonged to he told them it belonged to a “friend” but he couldn’t remember “her” name. The officers then told the suspect the car was registered to a male the suspect said, “I stole it.” Officers were able to track down the owner who said that his wife was using the car and she was at work on the 800 block of LaPlaya. Upon speaking to the wife, she told them she had left her keys in the pocket of her vest which had been hanging at the end of an aisle. The suspect also was in possession of the victim’s cell phone and coin purse. The 30 year old male was charged with stolen auto, possession of stolen property and traffic violations.
On 01/29/12 at 10:38am, plainclothes officers went to the 700 block of 31st Ave , to locate a subject who had a
parole warrant as well as an outstanding felony warrant from Belmont PD. As they arrived they saw the suspect standing outside of the house and upon identifying themselves as police officers, the suspect made eye contact and ran into the house locking the door behind him. As one officers stayed at the front, the other officer was making his way to the back of the house through a neighboring street. The officer at the back could see the suspect hopping fences finally jumping onto the roof of a shed in a neighboring backyard where he was taken into custody. The 47 year old male was charged with his warrants.
On 01/29/12 at 7:30pm, officers were called to the 5300 block of Geary on a report of a male who had stolen from the shop and tried to break the front window. Officers arrived on scene and the caller pointed out a male who was standing on the opposite side of Geary Bl. As the officers approached the male, he looked up and saw them coming and took off running. He first fell to the sidewalk and when he got up, he ran into the middle of Geary Blvd and as he crossed the center median, he fell on the ice plants. Officers were able to detain him and saw that he appeared agitated and confused. The male told the officers he had ingested some “shrooms.” Upon speaking to the caller she told the officers that the suspect had come into the shop and was acting strangely. He approached the counter and proceeded to knock all the pastries off of the counter. He then took a cookie and began to eat it. When confronted the male kicked open the glass front door and took off. The 21 year old male was charged with theft, trespassing and delaying arrest.
On 01/30/12 at 2:40pm, plainclothes officers were in the area of JFK Drive , near the Conservatory of Flowers when they observed the suspect walking along a pathway. The officers were very familiar with the suspect from previous arrests for auto burglary in Golden Gate Park. When the officers approached the suspect he dropped an item from his hand onto the grass. The officers saw that it was a screwdriver, which they knew he uses to make entry into vehicles. He was also in possession of narcotic paraphernalia and a knife. The 52 year old male was charged with a parole violation and possession of a knife and burglar tools.
On 02/02/12 at 2:30pm, plainclothes officers were in the area of Euclid and Parker when they observed the suspect walking along the curb line, peering into the windows of the cars parked along Euclid . They followed him for several blocks when he finally stopped at a Red Nissan. He turned and walked back in the direction towards one of the officers and they made eye contact. The suspect and the officer then recognized each other from a previous arrest. The suspect was detained and it was determined he was on probation. He was in possession of a knife, channel lock pliers, and several screwdrivers. He had also secreted in his mouth, porcelain spark plug chips which are commonly used by auto burglars to shatter car windows. The officers were also able to determine that the red Nissan had been driven to the area by the suspect and the Nissan had been reported stolen. The suspect, a 43 year old male was charged with possession of stolen property and burglary tools.
On 02/02/12 at 10:45pm, officers were called to the 400 block of 25th Ave , on a burglary that had just occurred. The caller stated that she was in her apartment when her buzzer rang. Believing it was her son coming home she buzzed the person in. The caller stood by the front door to greet her son, but no one came up the stairs. The caller then heard noises coming from the garage and she called her son on his cell phone. When the son said he was still a distance away from the home, the caller exited her apartment and looked down the stairs. She saw the suspect standing in the lobby with a metal cart full of her belongings that had been in the garage. She began yelling at the suspect who fled the scene, leaving the cart and contents behind. At this point the son came home and saw the suspect leaving the building and followed him to 23rd and Clement where the suspect tried to get into a cab. The son told the cab driver not to take the suspect as he was a burglar and the suspect got out of the cab. Officers arrived on scene and took the suspect into custody. The suspect, a 42 year old male was charged with burglary and possession of stolen property.
NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 01/26/12 at 9am an 87 year old female who resides in the Richmond District, received a phone call from a male claiming to be her grandson. The caller stated he was in Mexico and in trouble and needed her to wire him $2900. The female went to a money wiring service and did as instructed. She became suspicious when she did not receive a conformation call from her grandson the next day and upon contacting him, learned in fact that he was not in Mexico , nor did he place the phone call.
On 01/27/12 at 9am, another elderly resident of the Richmond District, a 93 year old male, received a phone call from a male claiming to be his grandson. The caller stated that he was in jail in Mexico and needed the victim to wire him $3000 to be released. The 93 year old male went to one wire service and they told him it was a “Scam” and not to send the money. The victim did not believe the employee and went to another wire service store and sent the money. The victim has since spoken to his grandson who lives in another state and did not call the victim.
Between 01/27/12, 9am and 01/28/12, 1:50pm on the 300 block of 8th Ave , a suspect made entry into a garage and took a bike. There were no signs of forced entry
On 01/27/12 between 9:30am and 6:30pm on the 700 block of Parker Ave , a suspect gained entry into a multi-unit garage and took a bike. There were no signs of forced entry.
On 01/27/12 between 2:00pm and 2:30pm on the 1800 block of Lyon , a bicycle was taken from a garage. The tradesman door may have been unlocked.
Between 01/28/12, 10am and 01/30/12, 12pm on the 400 block of 8th Ave, a suspect pried open the mail key box
which was affixed to the front iron gate. With the key the suspect was able to get in through the gate and front door and into the garage. It is unknown at this time what was taken.
On 01/28/12 between 3pm and 3:05pm, on the 2100 block of Scott St , the victim wheeled her bike to her apartment which is at the rear of the building. She laid her bike against the wall and went inside. When she returned 5 minutes later it was gone.
On 01/28/12 between 3:30pm and 5:30pm on the 800 block of 32nd Ave , a suspect entered an apartment by prying
open a side door and climbing into the window of a kitchen. Once inside the suspect took a handgun and cash.
On 01/29/12 at 10:15am, an employee got to work on the 500 block of Point Lobos and locked up his bike in the parking lot. When he got off at 6:00pm his bike was gone. Surveillance video shows a tan vehicle pulling into the parking lot and the driver getting out and riding off with the bike. The passenger in the vehicle then drives the car out and they fled in an unknown direction.
On 02/01/12, between 7:30pm and 9:00pm on the 700 block of 33rd Ave , a suspect pried open an iron gate leading to a tunnel entrance way to a home. From the entrance way the suspect took a bike and a skateboard.
Tips for Pedestrians:
Always use crosswalks and pedestrian-activated signals when they are available and cross only at intersections if they are not.
Never jaywalk. Drivers are not anticipating pedestrians crossing in the middle of the street so they may not have enough time to avoid hitting you.
Wear bright reflective clothing at night, in the evening and in the early morning hours.
Walk on the sidewalk. If there are no sidewalks, walk off the road facing traffic.
Watch for cyclists and vehicles backing up in driveways or parking lots.
When crossing driveways and alleys, always look left and right just as you would when crossing a street.
When crossing a street, walk, don’t run. This will allow drivers more time to see and come to a safe stop.
Watch for vehicles turning right on a red light. They may not be looking for you.
Most pedestrians overestimate the distance at which drivers can see them. Alcohol can limit your ability to judge situations – even as a pedestrian.
PAUSE until all vehicles are stopped. Assume drivers don’t see you and never step out into traffic until you have made eye contact with drivers and you are certain they will stop. When you step off the curb in front of a vehicle that has stopped to let you cross, don’t proceed until you have checked the traffic in all other lanes. Drivers may not realize other vehicles have stopped for pedestrians.
PROCEED with your arm extended, when all vehicles have stopped. Keep scanning both sides of the road as you cross. Stop in the middle of the crosswalk if you have to and make sure all oncoming vehicles intend to stop.
Don’t let children run out ahead of you. Children are less visible than adults and children cannot always exercise good judgment about safety – so stay close enough to pull them to safety.
Tips for Drivers:
When you are in a busy area such as main intersections, schools and playground zones anticipate someone crossing the street and slow down. Decreasing your speed by a few miles per hour will give you more time to stop.
Make sure your lights and windshield are clean.
Be aware of what other motorists are doing around you. If you are unsure why a vehicle has stopped, use caution, slow down and be prepared to stop in case the vehicle is stopped for a pedestrian.
When stopping for a pedestrian, don’t block the crosswalk. If you pull right up to the painted crosswalk lines, your vehicle may obscure the view of other drivers who then may not realize someone is crossing. Wait until the pedestrian has completely cleared the adjacent lanes before proceeding. By waiting, you alert other drivers that there is someone crossing the street. A hand signal (left arm extended out the window and straight down) can help draw attention to the situation. If you notice vehicles approaching the intersection quickly, flash your brake lights a few times or honk your horn. This may alert the driver as well as the pedestrian.
Be aware of left turns. When waiting to turn left at an intersection, be especially aware of pedestrians crossing the street to your left. Turning left across the oncoming traffic is tricky as you may be concentrating on the approaching traffic and fail to notice the pedestrians crossing. When you spot a gap in traffic, make sure nobody is in the crosswalk before you make your turn.
Watch out for jaywalkers. Although drivers have the right of way over jaywalkers, in the event of a collision no one wins.
I actually saw the arrest take place last night for the last Noteworthy Incident. I didn’t realize the story was so complicated; the dude was really yelling very very loudly as the cops took him into custody; it took 4-5 of them to wrestle this jerk to the ground. The cops did a good job dealing with a complete asshat.
Also, it wasn’t a cab, it was a super-shuttle.
As far as the car burglers go, what really bothers me is how often these cops are seeing the same suspects. Is the DA just deciding not to put these people away? Are they not trying the case, or is it bad judges who are just giving these guys parole? These jerks should be in Jail for a long time when they are caught more than once doing this; it is a real problem, especiallly when your car is broken into. Why do these jeks keep coming back? Who is responsible for these people being back on the streets so quickly?
We always read about things stolen from garages but never signs of forced entry. Are people just not locking the doors to their garages? It seems like a no brainer to me.
@Paul – Not sure, but if picking locks is as easy as they make it look in the tv and movies, then perhaps that is one explanation. I’ve seen a lot of less-than-stellar locks on garage and alley doors in the neighborhood.
Sarah B.
It must be late on a Friday for me, I didn’t follow your thread of thought, Sarah. I meant that they should lock their doors. I don’t make any judgments on whether or not they have adequate locks. 🙂
@Paul – 🙂 I was trying to answer why there would not be any sign of forced entry. E.g. if someone picked the lock, I am not sure that presents as forced entry. So the door may be locked, but if picked, robbers are getting inside but the police don’t classify that as forced entry (e.g. door kicked open, lock destroyed, windows smashed etc.)
I’m glad to read the banter of Paul and Sarah, because I’ve had the same question: how are bikes stolen from garages without forced entry?
I might call the Richmond District PD and ask them for advice. If there was some type of device to make an electric garage more secure, I’d add it. I have recently been using feature that disables the remote. So, it means I have to get out of the car when exiting and returning, and it’s bringing me some piece of mind. Not sure if this is false piece of mind.
On the jaywalking, sometimes it’s safer to cross in the middle of the street than at a stoplight-sign/crosswalk because you can see well down the street in both directions. I’ve had numerous instances where the stopped for a light car lurches forward a few feet for various reasons, especially when they want to make say, a right turn.
re: garage entry. I think people are simply not aware how perps enter garages. It seems very easy to gain access, whether or not it’s breaking a lock. Just wait for a resident to drive in, then sneak in behind as the driver parks the vehicle, especially in a shared garage or carport. This is a completely wrong technique to drive into a garage. You need to stop the car right after entering and close the freakin’ door! Unfortunately, internal garbage pickup in some units also allows perps to enter.
A lot of residents leave their garage doors open for prolonged periods, e.g., when they are working in the garage. That seems innocent enough, but if I were a “spotter” I can tell you by a glance which garages have valuables and where they are for a return visit. Good thing I’m not a “spotter.”
I have a shared garage, but since our secondary exit is funky, slippery when wet, and inconvenient; we almost always exit through our garage door to go to our front entrance, especially when unloading groceries. We have never had anything stolen (knock on wood), but we also do not store our bikes in the garage, we store them inside our flat. We also make a point to make sure the garage is closed when not in use by us or our neighbor.
I think Joey’s comments make a lot of sense. I recently got a new bike, so now instead of leaving it where it is visible from the street (when my garage door is open), I hide it in the extra room that is out of view from the street. Not telling you’all my address 🙂