Police Blotter – October 31, 2014 | Tips for safe trick-or-treating

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of October 31, 2014. To be added to the station’s mailing list, email sfpdrichmondstation@sfgov.org.]

STATION MESSAGE
Halloween Safety Tips for Trick or Treating
Trick or Treating should be one of the great adventures of Halloween for kids! They can get dressed in scary costumes and go door to door, begging “Tricks or Treats!” from neighbors or at the local mall. Trick-or-Treat safely, going door to door is the stuff of childhood memories! It should be a fun time, without trouble and pain, so following some easy tips can keep your child safe every Halloween.

Children should always go out trick or treating accompanied by a responsible adult. If you have a group of kids going, the parents should choose two or three of them to go along and keep an eye on things.

Plan a safe route so parents know where their older kids will be at all times. Set a time for their return home. Make sure that your child is old enough and responsible enough to go out by themselves. Make sure that they have a cell phone.

Let your children know not to cut through back alleys if they are out alone. Make sure they know not to go off the beaten track. Let them know to stay in well lit areas with lots of people around. Explain to them why it can be dangerous for kids not to do this. If they are going out alone, they are old enough to know what can happen to them in a bad situation and how to stop it from happening.

Instruct your children not to eat any treats until they bring them home to be examined by you. This way you can check for any problem candy and get the pick of the best stuff!

Instruct your child to never go into the home of a stranger or get into their car. Explain why this is not a good idea and what to do if someone approaches them and tries to talk to them.

Make sure your child carries a flashlight, glow stick or has reflective tape on their costume to make them more visible to cars.

You should haVe your kids try on their mask before Halloween to make sure they can breathe easily and see OK.

It’s also a good idea to add some kind of reflective tape if you or your kids will be walking around at night.

And be careful with decorative contact lenses make sure they come from a place that requires a prescription. If not, they could damage your eyes.

Apply make-up to a small part of your skin before putting it all over your face, just to make sure you don’t have a bad reaction.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS & INCIDENTS
On 10/22/2014, at 10:30 pm, Officers on patrol in the area of Geary and Collins observed a vehicle with expired registration. The officers initiated a traffic stop which resulted in the driver also being cited for driving on a suspended license.

On 10/23/2014, at 1:20 PM, officers observed a vehicle with expired registration in the area of Geary and 23rd Ave. the officers initiated a traffic stop and contacted the driver. The driver was unable to provide current proof of registration, current proof insurance or a valid driver’s license. A computer check revealed that the driver had never been issued driver’s license in California. The driver was cited for multiple violations.

On 10/24/2014 at 3:44 AM, officers responded to a report of theft in progress at the Safeway on 7th Avenue. Employees at the Safeway were able to direct officers towards the suspects who were detained to short time later. After talking to the employees at Safeway it was determined that there was no loss in this incident, but one of the suspects detained did have an active warrant for his arrest. This suspect was arrested on the warrant and booked into County jail.

On 10/24/2014, at 10:45 AM, officers on patrol in the area of Clement and 8th Avenue observed a vehicle conducting a U-turn in a business district. The officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and contacted the driver. The driver was unable to produce a California driver’s license and was also unable to produce current proof insurance. The driver told the officers he had left his license at home but a computer query revealed that the driver had never been issued one. The driver was cited for multiple violations.

On 10/24/2014, at 11:53 AM, Officers were flagged down regarding a theft from a vehicle. The victim stated was able to direct the responding officers to an area where four suspects were detained. The follow up investigation revealed that one of the suspects had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. All the property in this incident was recovered and released to the owner. The male with the warrant was booked county jail on the $75,000.00 warrant.

On 10/24/2014, at 2:46 PM, Officers responded to the area of Masonic Ave and Geary regarding a reported robbery. Units from multiple districts scoured the area in search of the suspects to no avail. The victim in this incident was walking east on Geary when she was attacked. She had a Canon camera slung around her neck and ended up in a struggle with a male who attempted to steal it. The male shoved the victim to the ground and fled towards a waiting vehicle. The victim in this incident was slightly injured but refused medical attention at the scene. The investigation continues…

On 10/24/2014, at 10:50 PM, Officers responded to the area of Geary and 28th Ave regarding a collision. On arrival at the scene the officers saw two unattended parked vehicles had been damaged by a third which was driving on Geary. The officers contacted the driver who appeared to be under the influence of an alcoholic beverage. The driver initially denied consuming any alcohol prior to the collision. After the DUI investigation, the driver was booked in to the county jail for suspected Alcohol and Narcotics DUI.

On 10/25/2014, at 3:49 PM, officers in the area of Geary and 19th Ave. observed a vehicle with expired registration. The officers initiated a traffic stop and contacted the driver who was unable to provide a valid driver’s license. The driver stated he did not realize his license had been expired for almost 4 months. The driver was cited for expired registration and driving on an expired license.

On 10/26/2014, at 4:13 AM, officers on patrol in the area of Funston and Geary Boulevard observed a suspicious vehicle parked at the gas station. The officers observed that the male driver was apparently passed out in the vehicle. While attempting to perform her welfare check the officers noted a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage from within the vehicle. The officers initiated a battery of field sobriety tests which resulted in the mail being booked at County jail on DUI charges.

On 10/26/2014, at 9:13 PM, officers on patrol in the area of Geary and 12th Ave. observed a vehicle with expired registration. The officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and contacted the driver. The driver of the vehicle was unable to produce a driver’s license, registration or current proof insurance. The driver was cited for multiple violations at the scene.

On 10/27/2014, at 3:17 PM, Officers Responded To The Intersection Of Fulton And 30th Ave. Regarding A vehicle burglary. On arrival at the scene the victim was able to provide officers with a full description of the suspect and his direction of travel. When officers located the suspect he said “I know I’m the one you want to talk to.” The officers were able to recover the victim’s necklace and the victim was able to positively identify the suspect. A computer search revealed that the suspect had warrants outstanding for prior burglaries. The suspect was subsequently booked at county jail on the warrants and the vehicle burglary without further incident.

On 10/27/2014, at 4:45 PM, officers responded to the 500 block of 28th Ave. regarding a non-injury collision. While trying to facilitate an exchange of information the officer discovered that one of the parties did not possess a California driver’s license. This information was verified via the officer’s computer. The driver was cited and because a responsible driver was unable to respond to the scene the vehicle was towed to the vehicle impound.

On 10/28/2014, at 7:46 PM, officers responded to create highway and Ortega Street regarding a non-injury hit-and-run collision. At the time of this collision the victim vehicle was rear-ended by a second vehicle traveling south on Great Highway, which then fled the scene. The victim in this incident was able to record the license plate number and provided it to the responding officers. Suspect vehicle was located on the great Highway at Ortega Street. Officers conducted a DUI investigation which resulted in the suspect of being later booked at County jail for misdemeanor DUI hit-and-run.

On 10/28 2014, at 11:34 PM officers responded to the parking lot of smart and final on seventh Avenue regarding a suspicious mail taking apart a possible stolen bike. When contacted the mail stated he did not own the bike but had just recently found it and was in the process of fixing it. Although the bicycle was not reported as stolen, the male had two outstanding warrants for his arrest. The bicycle was booked into the SFPD property room in the male was booked at County jail without further incident.

On 10/28 2014, at 6:20 PM, officers responded to the area of Bowling Green Dr. and Nancy Pelosi in Golden gate Park, as backup to another police unit. The suspect in this incident was initially stopped for running a stop sign on the computer check revealed he had multiple outstanding warrants for his arrest. While conducting an arrest search the officers discovered a quantity of narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia. The suspect was booked at County jail on the warrants and multiple narcotics violations.