[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of January 23, 2014. To be added to the station’s mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org.]
CAPTAIN SIMON SILVERMAN’S MESSAGE
Thanks to all of you who have welcomed me to the Richmond District! I’ve spent the past week meeting with community groups and learning about the concerns of the people who live and work here. The members of Richmond Station have briefed me on the crime and traffic trends in the district, and how we’ve been addressing them. The most common crime problems I see are car break-ins and residential burglaries, so we will be targeting those crimes in particular (but not neglecting other crimes). In my experience, the people who commit these kinds of crimes are prolific, serial violators so the arrest of just one or two suspects can have a significant impact.
We have already increased traffic enforcement and targeted our traffic trouble spots. In just one hour last week, our officers wrote 25 citations along Fulton St. The tickets were mostly for speeding, red lights, stop signs, and failing to yield to pedestrians. On Friday morning (January 24) we will have an undercover officer on foot acting as a decoy to catch anyone who does not yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. As a reader of the newsletter, you get advance notice that we will be working on Geary, although I’m not going to say exactly where!
I look forward to meeting more of you in the coming weeks and please don’t hesitate to call us or e-mail us if we can be of service.
Our next Community meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 6pm. It will be in the Community Room, here at Richmond Station, 461 6th Ave.
NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 01/17/14 at 6:50pm, officers were called to the 700 block of 7th Ave on a report of a male that was walking around the store asking customers for money. The employees wanted him escorted out and warned not to return. Officers detained the 45 year old male and determined that he had a warrant for his arrest for burglary. The suspect was booked on the warrant.
On 01/17/14 at 7:50pm, officers were called to 7th Ave and Fulton regarding subjects that were yelling at pedestrians and rummaging through a dumpster. Officers detained the 3 males and determined that one of the males was listed as a wanted parolee and had a warrant for his arrest for burglary. The 50 year old male was booked.
On 01/18/14 at 10:40am, officers were called to a business on the 3800 block of Geary. The caller was reporting that a male had entered an employee restroom and was refusing to come out. Officers located the male and detained him. In the suspect’s possession were credit cards with other people’s names on them. Officers were able to contact two of the victims. One of the victim’s was pick pocketed on a MUNI bus and the other had her car broken into. The 50 year old male was charged with possession of stolen property, trespassing and a probation violation.
On 01/19/14 at 4:45pm, officers were called to the 700 block of 17th Ave to do a well being check a male who was mumbling to himself and using a neighbor’s garden hose. When officers arrived the suspect told them he was washing his feet and had an ingrown toe nail. The suspect said he did not know who lived in the house nor did he have permission to use the hose. The suspect was on probation for narcotic violations and was subject to a search. Officers located methamphetamine in his possession as well as credit cards and a driver’s license issued to another person. Officers attempted to find information on that person but were unsuccessful. The 23 year old male was charged with narcotic and probation violations.
NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 01/18/14 at 1:22pm, the resident of a home on the 800 block of 38th Ave, attempted to pull into her driveway. She saw that her garage door was open and the suspect was standing at the open door sitting on a bike. The suspect was holding onto a different bike when suddenly a second suspect ran out of her garage. Both suspects fled west onto Fulton, on the bikes. The husband who was home had heard the garage door earlier but thought it was his wife. About 5 minutes later she returned and began to honk the horn as the suspects fled the scene. The suspects entered the garage through an unlocked window at the rear of the building. The suspects removed the garage remote from the car parked inside the garage. There was no other loss. The initial suspect was a white male, 22-28yrs, wearing a black baseball cap, red tank top and cargo pants. The second suspect was a white female, 22-28yrs with black hair. She was wearing light colored blue jeans with blue underwear.
Between 01/20/14, 5pm and 01/21/14, 7:30am on the 2700 block of Pacific, the suspect entered a home under construction and took numerous tools. The suspect gained entry by prying open a lock box attached to the front gate. The suspect then removed the key and entered the home.
Between 01/20/14, 10pm and 01/21/14, 7am on the 600 block of 20th Ave, a suspect cut the meshing on a front gate of a residence. The suspect then reached in, unlocked the gate and took a bike.
On 01/22/14 between 3:30pm and 6:15pm on the 3300 block of Jackson, the suspect entered a home through an unlocked front door. The suspect took art and figurines that were in the front foyer.
People who obey traffic laws do not need advanced warning of increased traffic enforcement on Geary or any other street.
Unfortunately, the SFPD’s attitude toward pedestrian safety has been to largely ignore it in their day to day operations and occasionally execute a pedestrian traffic “sting” so that they can say that they take the issue seriously. It is obvious to any impartial observer that they don’t. That is why pedestrian traffic deaths continue to increase. Once the SFPD decides to stop engaging in “pedestrian safety theater” and actually enforcing the traffic laws regarding pedestrian safety on a daily basis pedestrian deaths will start to decline. Until then, traffic stings will be no more effective at making walking in a SF crosswalk safer than the TSA makes air travel safer.