[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of July 18, 2014. To be added to the station’s mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org.]
MESSAGE FROM ACTING CAPTAIN
LT. DEBORAH GIZDICH
Captain Simon Silverman is on vacation
Golden Gate Bridge Weekend Closure
A full closure of the Golden Gate Bridge will be necessary during the short-term construction activities. This closure will begin at midnight on January 9, 2015 and will end at 4:00 AM January 12, 2015. The closure is not expected to exceed 52 hours. While this will cause significant delays to motorists traveling between the City of San Francisco and Marin County, the weekend closure is unavoidable to ensure both public and worker safety during construction. It is recommended that the public is informed to use alternate freeways, ferry services and/or avoid the use of Route 101 during this weekend.
An issue which was brought up by a concerned citizen at the PAR meeting, is the lack of turn signal use by road users. Not only is the non-use of your turn signal a vehicle code violation, this simple directional gives other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians a clear warning of your intention to change direction of travel. We would request all road users be mindful of your surroundings and be extra careful during the summer months.
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NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 07/06/2014, at 10:54 am Officers on patrol on the area of westbound Fulton observed a vehicle in front of them with an expired registration tab which was expired since Nov 2013. They conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle. As soon as contact was made, the driver pointed towards the back of the car and said “I know”. The officers asked to see the driver’s license and he stated he did not have one. The driver was cited and their vehicle was towed for registration expired over 6 months.
On 07/04/2014, at 8:32 pm, Officers responded to Masonic and Geary Blvd. to conduct a well being check on a male who was passed out in the driver’s seat of a stationary vehicle. While conducting the well being check, officers determined that the driver of the vehicle was under the influence of suspected narcotics. After their investigation, the driver was booked into the county jail for D.U.I.
On 07/08/2014, at 10:10 pm, Officers on patrol in the area of Geary and 18th ave. observed a white Mercedes driving in an unsafe and erratic manner. The officers started to follow the vehicle along Park Presidio Blvd and saw the vehicle make multiple unsafe and abrupt lane. Officers initiated a traffic enforcement stop where upon contacting the driver the cited him for reckless driving and various other vehicle code violations.
On 07/09/2014, at 10:24 am, Officers responded to the area of Rossi Park regarding an auto burglary in progress. Upon their arrival at the scene the officers observed a male and female parked in a vehicle which matched the description provided. After refusing to comply with the verbal commands given by the officers the vehicle fled the area. The driver of the vehicle showed a blatant disregard for the property and safety of others by hitting multiple vehicles during his effort to escape. The vehicle was spotted a short distance away by another responding unit which attempted to conduct a traffic stop; the vehicle again increased speed and fled. Due to the initial call being a property crime the officer did not follow the vehicle for safety and policy reasons. While the initial responding officers were taking the auto burglary report they were notified that the suspect vehicle was stopped in another police district. It should be noted that the male suspect ran from the scene of the traffic stop on foot and the female occupant was arrested. The investigation continues….
On 07/16/2014, at 1:20 am, Officers on patrol in the area of Geary blvd spotted a vehicle driving with no headlights. The initiated an enforcement stop on the vehicle and contacted the driver. A computer check revealed that the driver was suspended for a prior violation. The driver was cited at the scene without further incident for the violations.
NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 07/16/2014, at 12:20 pm, Officers responded to area of 9th and Lake St. regarding a purse snatch which had just occurred. The victim (68 yrs old) stated she was robbed by female suspect who shook her violently and stole her purse. The suspect fled to a waiting camper type vehicle which had a male driver. The vehicle fled the area in an unknown direction. The victim in this incident was not hurt and a passerby assisted until the police responded. Police saturated the area in an effort to locate the fleeing vehicle to no avail. Responding officers assisted the victim in getting to her banking institution which confirmed that a credit card transaction had occurred 16 mins after the robbery. The investigation continues….
We are still suffering from a lot of vehicle burglaries. Please do not leave items or valuables in your vehicles. If you see a suspicious character looking into parked vehicles, call 415-553-0123 and provide a description of the suspect.
Question about the incident on 7/4: Can you get a DUI for being in the drivers seat of a parked car while under the influence? Maybe you leave a party thinking you can drive, get in the drivers seat and instead fall asleep and never end up driving. Is that cause for a DUI?
I don’t know but it sounds like you could be cited for public intoxication.
The narrative seems to say that the vehicle was “stationary” which does not necessarily mean that it was parked. Perhaps the driver just stopped the car and made it “stationary” in the regular traffic lane. But that’s just my guess.
Katie, if you wish to sleep one off, the back seat is recommended as it is not possible to operate a vehicle from there.
@Katie: I think you can. It’s also not legal to sleep in your car, I don’t think. If you handled it well, there’s probably a good chance the officer would understand.
I think you can get a DUI is what I meant.
Yeah, if you’re in the driver’s seat and the keys are in the ignition=dui. I once worked with someone who got a dui after police arrived at her house after she had made it home and parked. Someone had called 911 and reported her erratic driving.
While I appreciate seeing the note at the top of the blotter re: reminding people to use their turn signal, I hope they remind their own officers to do the same. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen police vehicles fail to use their turn signals (and I’m talking about during routine driving, not when they have sirens going and trying to get somewhere in a hurry.) If you want the citizens to obey the law, then the enforcers of the law need to lead by example and do the same. It sounds like a simple thing and it is. Just do it! It’s not that hard to flick a turn signal, people!