[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of April 25, 2014. To be added to the station’s mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org.]
CAPTAIN SIMON SILVERMAN’S MESSAGE
Congratulations are in order for veteran Richmond Station Officer Rosemary Castro who will be retiring next week after 32 years of service to the SFPD. Her last day on duty will be Monday the 28th. Rose started the police academy in 1982. After graduating from the academy, she completed her field training in the Mission District and was then assigned to Ingleside Station. She also spent time working at the Communications Division, Southern Station, and once more at Mission Station before coming to the Richmond District in 2001. For the last 13 years, she has served the community as a patrol officer, answering calls, making arrests and keeping the residents of the district safe. We will miss her wisdom and experience and we wish her a happy, healthy and long retirement.
Our next Community meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at 6pm. It will be in the Community Room, here at Richmond Station, 461 6th Ave.
NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 04/17/14 at 7:55am, an auto burglary occurred in the area of Stow Lake. A witness called and provided a description of the suspects and the vehicle they were in including the license plate. Officers were aware of this vehicle as it had been used in an auto burglary in Stern Grove earlier in the week and prior to that incident, the occupants had been identified in a traffic stop at 7th and Judah. On 04/18/14 at 1:40pm, the vehicle and suspects were located on the 1800 block of Silver and detained. In the vehicle was property belonging to several victims. The suspects, a 32yr old male and a 25yr old female were charged with the auto burglaries, possession of stolen property and conspiracy.
On 04/18/14 at 5:15am officers were called to the 200 block of Funston regarding an auto burglary in progress. The caller described the suspect and advised that he was on a bike. The officers arrived and the suspect attempted to flee on the bike but was detained. The caller told the officers that they observed the suspect looking in the window of the vehicle and “jimmy” it open and enter the vehicle. The officers recovered 2 CD/stereo faceplates as well as numerous burglar tools. The 51yr old male was charged with auto burglary, possession of burglar tools and stolen property.
On 04/19/14 at 6:45am, officers responded to the 600 block of 36th Ave on a report of a robbery that had just occurred with the suspects firing a handgun. The victim reported that the suspects fled in a gold four door sedan. As officers were responding to the area they spotted a gold 4door sedan at 31st Ave and Cabrillo St. When the officer got behind the suspect’s vehicle it fled from the officer. The suspects intentionally hit another officer’s vehicle on 43rd at Cabrillo and continued to flee into Golden Gate Park. The suspect went west on Lincoln from 19th Ave and again stuck the officers vehicle, this time causing the suspect’s vehicle to lose control and both occupants were taken into custody. It was later determined that these suspects were not the suspects from the robbery, but fled as they were in a stolen vehicle, on probation and suspects in a burglary from the Taraval District. The driver of the stolen vehicle was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, stolen auto, possession of stolen property and probation violation. The passenger was charged with being in possession of ammunition and probation violations.
On 04/25/14 at 6:55am, a resident of a home on the 500 block of 14th Ave awoke to a stranger sleeping on his living room couch. The resident quickly checked the doors into the building and saw that the tradesman door and iron gate were damaged and forced open. Officers were called and detained the male in the living room. The male told the officers that the front door was unlocked and acknowledged that he did not live there. The suspect, a 30yr old male was charged with burglary, vandalism and trespassing.
NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 04/17/14 between 12am and 7:30pm on the 1500 block of Broderick, a suspect entered an apartment by breaking a window. The suspect took jewelry and a TV.
On 04/18/14 at 3:54pm, on the 200 block of 30th Ave, a suspect took packages that had been delivered and left on the front stoop. Surveillance video shows the suspect as a white male, wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. He was also wearing mirrored sunglasses. The loss was clothing.
Between 04/18/14, 11:15pm and 04/19/14, 6:30am on the 4400 block of Balboa, a suspect entered a multi-unit garage and took a bike. There were no signs of forced entry.
Between 04/19/14, 2pm and 04/20/24, 9:30am on the 400 block of 33rd Ave, a suspect entered a multi-unit garage by unknown means. One of the tenants had left their car window open and the suspect took an iPad from the vehicle.
Between 04/19/14, 7:30pm and 04/20/14, 8:15am on the 100 block of Jordan, a suspect entered a garage by prying off one of the panels in the door. The suspect took the vehicle that was parked inside.
On 04/19/14 at 9pm, on the 1000 block of the Great Highway the victim was walking back to his vehicle when he heard a loud thump coming from the area of his car. As he ran to his car he saw the suspect standing by the front passenger door and saw that the window was now smashed. As the suspect started to walk away, the victim grabbed his arm and during a brief struggle, they both fell to the ground. The suspect struck the victim in the side of his face, possibly with a handle of a screwdriver. The suspect then fled south then into the area of the soccer fields. The suspect was described as a black male, 45-50yrs, wearing a dark hat, light blue long sleeved shirt with a black vest on top and dark jeans.
On 04/19/14 at 9pm, the victim was walking north on 16th Ave towards Clement St. The victim was carrying her purse with the strap across her body. The suspect approached from behind and began to pull on the purse. The victim tried to keep a grip on it, but the suspect pulled harder and caused the victim to lose her grip and fall to the ground. The suspect fled north on 16th Ave. The suspect was a white female with dark hair past her shoulders, wearing a gray baggy sweatshirt. The victim sustained injuries but refused medical treatment.
On 04/20/14 between 4pm and 6pm, a suspect entered an office area in the garage and took a Bluetooth earpiece and a business check. The suspect also cut the wires to the mouse, keyboard and speakers to the computer. The residents were upstairs at the time and thought they heard a door slam earlier; there were no signs of forced entry.
On 04/23/14, between 3pm and 5pm a suspect entered an apartment by unknown means. The suspect took jewelry, an iPad and a Kindle.
What a bizarre reporting of the shooting incident on 36th/Balboa…what was the initial robbery/gunshot. that happened at 36th/Balboa….someone walking down the street, a house broken into/robbed,? There’s usually more info given on a robbery, there’s literally nothing said here about the first part of this strange incident. And then to just amp up the bizzareness, the two dudes arrested in a similar color car a few blocks away, aren’t the ones who committed the vague robbery just a few minutes before? Wacky times we live in
@Jon – Yeah the blotter seemed more interested in the ensuing chase than reporting what started it. A woman was walking near 35th and Balboa and while trying to rob her, their gun went off. We have not heard anythjng more about the victim.
Sarah B.
Interesting….I didn’t even know that the originally robbery was a woman walk near 35th and Balboa…? Wonder why that has been stated? Being a frequent earlier morning walker and a female these are things that would be helpful to know.
@Administrator How did you hear that?… hasn’t been reported anywhere.
Huh, that’s two separate incidents reported as one with no description of the suspects in the original incident. Not exactly good police reporting going on there.
@Jon – Another reader who lives near the incident called the station and was given that information.
Sarah B.
@Administrator Thanks Sarah. Seems that the police aren’t doing their job reporting wise if they aren’t giving details on suspects and incident. This is quite alarming for a Sunday morning in that location.
Though none of these incidents are as frightening as crimes occurring regularly in other parts of the city, they are happening with enough regularity to get your attention. It makes me wonder if there is an increased incidence of petty crimes in the area, or if I have just been reading the blotter too much. Either way, people are clearly making the neighborhood a destination to commit crime (I doubt if even 25% of the suspects actually live in the area). I always call in suspicious activities, though at this point I have dealt with the surliness of dispatchers and Richmond station attendants enough that it sometimes makes me wonder why I bother.
GG Park and the ocean draw all kinds of riff-raff. There are multiple places in GG Park to hang out and wait for opportunity, strike, and then disappear back into the woods. Frankly, I think San Francisco police should use heat seeking technology aligned with intelligent algorithms to identify human stragglers (versus animals) in the park after a certain hour. Interestingly, these is now technology available (currently, fairly expensive) that could both locate a person and deliver an audio message to “leave the park immediately!!” that could only be heard by the intended audio target, as the sound signal is controlled within a very small radius (about a meter).
To give a commercial example: lets say you are in Union Square with biometric-enabled cameras recording; the cameras (attached to high powered computers) capture your eye movements and recognize your face (from full or partial face recognition); the computer matches your identity with your known social media, purchasing, etc. past and directs an audio transmitter to send an beam-directed audio stream advertising a certain product that only YOU are capable of hearing. If you are walking with someone else, the stream has an accuracy range so fine that the person you are walking with cannot hear what you are hearing! This technology has been tested, and it works! (btw, I think it is a sucky, intrusive technology, and hope it never gets implemented on our public streets for commercial use). However, I can see this technology put to good use by police departments, along with heat sensor technology to rid parks; dark warehouse complexes, etc. etc of people who should not be in those places after certain hours.
That said, BIg Brother is here – don’t let this stuff be abused, or used to *unnecessarily* control private citizens in their everyday comings and goings
Any time I ride the #5 Fulton, there is always at least one person on just the bus that has a major skeevy vibe.
There is also someone going around breaking glass windows late at night in GG park.
Not sure if it will show up in the next blotter, but I reported my vehicle being broken into Saturday morning in the Sea Cliff area. They didn’t break the window, just jimmied the lock. I had nothing of value, just laundry money – which they took. Just seems like there’s a TON of vehicle break-in stuff lately.
Wow more break-ins how sad. Definately agree with Bennetts’ comments, “… [these crimes] are happening with enough regularity to get your attention. It makes me wonder if there is an increased incidence of petty crimes in the area, or if I have just been reading the blotter too much.” After reading each report certainly feel the need to increase neighborhood awareness.
To admin: Do you know more about the location of the incident listed “On 04/20/14 between 4pm and 6pm, a suspect entered an office area in the garage and took a Bluetooth earpiece and a business check.”? Thank you.
It is really sad the last report had a brazen car break-in where the robber was caught on camera and he didn’t even care. Has anyone else seen or encountered this type of crime? Any ideas how to prevent it? Thank you!
@ phil: Like your ideas how police should use heat seeking technology aligned with intelligent algorithms to identify human stragglers. Does anyone know how SFPD currently patrols? Or if they leverage technology? Kindly share. Thanks.
@Cha Sao Bao – I’m sorry but we don’t know anything more about the garage break-in. But you can contact the Richmond station for more information:
http://sf-police.org/index.aspx?page=838
Sarah B.