Police Blotter – October 16, 2015

SFPD Richmond District Police Station
Weekly Update 10-16-2015
From Captain Simon Silverman

Shhh…The Next Community Meeting is at the Library:
Tuesday 10-20-2015 at 7:00 PM at the Richmond Branch of the San Francisco Public Library
351 9th Ave

Here are some of the incidents that occurred in the Richmond Police District this week:

BURGLARY / AUTO THEFT
10/08/2015 8:45 PM to 10/09/2015 7:15 AM
Clement & 17th Ave
The resident accidentally left his garage door open overnight and an unknown suspect stole a bike and a car. The car was unlocked and the keys were inside.
Captain’s Note: I recommend against leaving the keys in the car, even in your garage.

ALCOHOL ENFORCEMENT OPERATION
10/09/2015 Midnight to 2:00 AM
Richmond District
Undercover officers from SFPD Richmond Station and the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control visited several licensed establishments in the Richmond District and issued a number of citations for minors in possession of alcohol, false ID, and serving underage patrons.

SHOPLIFTING
10/10/2015 12:47 PM
California & Spruce
The suspect took 12 bottles of ibuprofen and 12 packs of condoms from the store shelves, hid them in his clothes then left without paying. When a store employee confronted the suspect outside, the suspect returned the stolen merchandise and walked away.
Captain’s Note: This suspect was preparing for a busy weekend.

ARREST: DUI
10/11/2015 12:44 AM
MLK & Stow Lake
Officers responded to a collision between a car and a tree (spoiler alert… the car was at fault). The driver initially claimed that a “large animal” had run across the road causing him to swerve and run into the tree. He denied having consumed any alcohol. After preliminary blood alcohol screening results proved otherwise, he revised his story and said, “To be honest, I pounded a Corona about two hours ago.”
Captain’s Note: The suspect was near the bison paddock which could explain why he thought he saw a large animal. Either that or it was another Stow Lake Sasquatch sighting (oops… everyone knows there is no Stow Lake Sasquatch… or is there?)

ARREST: TRESPASSING / BATTERY ON A POLICE OFFICER
10/11/2015 1:09 PM
Fulton & 7th Ave
An officer on patrol was flagged down by a store security guard who reported that there was a man in the parking lot who was begging aggressively and scaring customers. The security guard added that the suspect had been told not to trespass on store property several times in the past. The officer approached the suspect and told him to leave. The suspect replied, “No! I’m waiting for a sandwich!” The officer again told the suspect to leave at which point the suspect suddenly sprayed the officer in the face with a bottle of perfume.
Captain’s Note: Fortunately the officer was okay, although there is no word on what happened when he arrived home smelling of perfume.

ARREST: TRESPASSING / WARRANT
10/11/2015 2:16 PM
Geary & 16th Ave
The coffee shop manager called SFPD after he discovered the suspect masturbating in the bathroom. Officers detained the suspect who told them, “I was only delousing in the bathroom.” The suspect had a warrant for his arrest for a previous trespassing case.
Captain’s Note: Either of the two activities that the suspect may have engaged in are enough to make one’s skin crawl – the former figuratively and the latter literally.

ARREST: WARRANTS
10/11/2015 11:05 PM
Geary & Masonic
Officers responded to a store where security guards were detaining a suspect who had shoplifted a cell phone. The security guards did not want to press charges, but the suspect had two warrants for previous shoplifting incidents.
Captain’s Note: Under California law, a police officer generally cannot make an arrest for a misdemeanor that was not committed in his presence (there are several exceptions). However, a private person may make an arrest or “press charges” just by signing a form and giving a statement. Since shoplifting less than $950 of merchandise is a misdemeanor, these security guards would have been required to make a private person’s arrest in this case.

ARREST: WANTED PAROLEE
10/12/2015 2:57 AM
Geary & 6th Ave
Officers were just leaving the station when they saw the suspect smoking in the nearby bus shelter (an infraction violation). They stopped to issue him a citation and found that he was a wanted parolee.
Captain’s Note to Wanted People: Richmond Station is at Geary & 6th Ave, so if you’re wanted and want to stay wanted you might want to avoid the building that does not want for police cars parked in front.

ARREST: POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY
10/14/2015 10:27 AM
Balboa & 37th Ave
An officer responded to a report of a mentally disturbed person throwing things, punching a light pole and waving a knife. The officer detained the suspect who turned out to have a stun gun (not a knife) and other property that had been stolen from a nearby car.
Captain’s Note: Never leave anything in your car. It’s bad enough if your property is stolen, but when that property is a weapon, it’s especially troubling. We have recently seen three people murdered with handguns stolen from cars in San Francisco.

ARREST: POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY
10/15/2015 1:48 PM
Cabrillo & 7th Ave
An officer on patrol spotted a van with a registration that expired over two years ago. The driver was on probation (she has an extensive arrest history for burglary and possession of stolen property). One condition of her probation requires her to submit to warrantless search. The officer searched the van and found a backpack that was stolen from a car in February.

ARREST: ROBBERY SERIES
10/15/2015 7:56 PM
Fulton & 16th Ave
Over the past 10 days there several similar robbery cases in the Richmond that appeared to have been committed by the same suspect. In response, undercover officers were patrolling the area when they happened upon the suspect robbing a woman. This suspect has been identified in at least four robbery cases so far and is a person of interest in a few more.

Halloween Event at SFPD Headquarters
The SFPD will be hosting a free Halloween event at the Public Safety Building (1245 3rd Street) on 10/31/2015 from 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM. This event is for children 10 years and younger. There will be arts and crafts, face painting, and trick or treat stations.

Please note that the above event is not at Richmond Station, but at SFPD HQ on 3rd Street. However, come by Richmond Station on Halloween too since we’ll have candy, stickers and you might even catch a glimpse of the very scary Stow Lake Sasquatch (I don’t know how these things get started… there is no Stow Lake Sasquatch… right…).

Contact Us:
Richmond Station
461 6th Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-666-8000
E-mail: SFPDRichmondStation@sfgov.org