Noe Valley Voice July-August 2002
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Police Beat

Put a Lock on It

The following crime summaries were culled from incident reports filed at Mission and Ingleside police stations during the month of May 2002.

Hot Prowl Burglary: 3:04 a.m. on Saturday, May 18; 300 block of Duncan Street

Burglary of a Residence Under Construction: Between 4 p.m. on Friday, May 3, and 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 5; 300 block of Duncan Street

Two break-ins occurred at the same house within a two-week period in May.

On the morning of Sunday, May 5, the owners of a home under construction in the 300 block of Duncan Street near Sanchez went into their downstairs basement room to use their computer, only to find the equipment missing. Also missing were a color printer, digital camera, scanner, and a CD case containing $500 in classical music CDs. The owners pointed out that the basement had two side-access doors, one of which did not lock.

Due to lack of physical evidence in the area where the computer and other equipment were located, police did not contact Crime Scene Investigations. Police noted that the rear side door was the likely point of entry.

Two weeks later, on Saturday, May 18, at around 3 a.m., the couple were asleep in their bedroom when the wife was awakened by someone near the bed. She thought it was her husband until she felt him still lying next to her. Twice she asked the intruder what he wanted, and both times he responded, "Just looking." The wife then grabbed the intruder's jacket, and a struggle ensued. The intruder pulled away and ran out of the bedroom into the hallway and out the front door. The wife saw the intruder run west on Duncan, then south on Sanchez. She then called police, who responded to the scene within minutes but were unable to locate the suspect.

The wife told police that her bedroom was too dark for her to see the intruder clearly, but that he was about 5859 and wearing a dark jacket and dark baggy pants. She also told police that the front door of the home might have been left unlocked by mistake. The woman's husband slept through most of the incident and awoke to see a shadow running out of the bedroom. The woman was not aware of anything missing from the home.

The case has been assigned to the San Francisco Police Department's Burglary Division.

Malicious Mischief/Graffiti: Between 5 p.m. on Friday, May 3, and 7 a.m. on Monday, May 6; 500 block of Elizabeth Street

At 7 a.m. on Monday, May 6, a carpenter who had been working on a home under construction in the 500 block of Elizabeth Street near Castro returned to the site after a weekend off, to find a large multicolored flannel sheet, spray-painted with the words "Monument of Greed," hanging from the second-floor scaffolding. The carpenter removed it and later showed it to the owners of the home, who asked that he call the police. As of press time, no suspects had been identified.

Hot Prowl Burglary: 2 a.m. on Monday, May 13; 200 block of 30th Street

A woman living in an apartment in the 200 block of 30th Street near Dolores was awakened around 2 a.m. on Monday, May 13, when she heard sounds coming from her bedroom window next to the fire escape. She spotted a male, age 25 or 26, 5889, and wearing a green shirt, open the window and crawl into her apartment. Next he jumped over her bed, which sits beneath the window, and ran toward the front door.

The woman did not call 911, she said, because her phone was on the other side of the room and she wasn't sure if the suspect was still in the apartment. After several minutes, she got out of bed and ran to another window looking out onto 30th Street. As she began yelling for help, she noticed the suspect running east on 30th Street.

The woman did not report the incident to police until the afternoon of May 13. Upon arrival at her apartment, a police officer checked the window the suspect had entered and found there was no lock and that the suspect had used no forced entry to open the window. The officer then contacted the manager of the building to ask that a lock be placed on the window. The officer also requested that Crime Scene Investigations come to the apartment for further investigation.

The case has been assigned to the SFPD's Burglary Division.

Possession of an Air Gun: 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 19; 800 block of Elizabeth Street

At 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, police were called to a home in the 800 block of Elizabeth Street near Hoffman to investigate two boys allegedly target shooting with an air gun in their backyard. The boys admitted they were using the air gun, and their father, who was home at the time, said he was aware of the target shooting, but "didn't know there was anything wrong with that."

Police advised the boys and their father that it is illegal to possess air guns in San Francisco, and the father gave the officers the gun. Because the boys had no criminal record and were under parental supervision, police admonished them in lieu of a citation.

The air gun was booked into evidence at Mission Station.

Mental Health Detention: 9:20 a.m. on Thursday, May 23; 1000 block of Noe Street

As a group of children were walking along Noe Street near Clipper on their way to school on the morning of Thursday, May 23, they noticed a 47-year-old man masturbating while sitting on a couch on the sidewalk.

When police arrived on the scene, they recognized the man from previous incidents. The man, who has a history of mental illness, appeared to be unaware of his surroundings and was looking from side to side as if he thought people were watching him. He allegedly told police, "They are trying to get me. The bank robbers are trying to get me."

Based on this and previous incidents, police determined that the man was unable to care for himself and that he might be a danger to himself and others. They transported him to San Francisco General Hospital for evaluation and treatment.

The Voice thanks Mission Police Officer Lorraine Lombardo, as well as Ingleside Sergeant Mikail Ali and 0fficer Mike Smith, for providing the incident reports for this month's Police Beat. The reports were summarized by Kathy Dalle-Molle.

How to Contact the SFPD

Noe Valley straddles two San Francisco police districts -- Mission and Ingleside -- each with its own turf. Mission police cover the northern half of Noe Valley, from 21st Street to Cesar Chavez Street. Ingleside police have jurisdiction over the southern half of Noe Valley, from Cesar Chavez Street to Glen Park.

Those residents and merchants who live and work within the Mission Police District can report recurring crime or safety problems by phoning the station at 558-5400. They may also send e-mail to Captain Greg Corrales at gregory_corrales@ci.sf.ca.us, or attend police-community meetings held the last Tuesday of the month. The next meeting will be Tuesday, July 30, at 6 p.m., at Mission Station, 630 Valencia Street. (To report anonymously on drugs, gangs, or other crimes, call the nontraceable hotline at 558-5452.)

Residents and merchants in "outer" Noe Valley -- south of Cesar Chavez -- can contact Ingleside Station by calling 404-4000 or e-mailing Captain Kevin Dillon at kevin_dillon@ci.sf.ca.us. The Ingleside police-community meetings take place the third Tuesday of the month at Ingleside Station, 1 Sergeant John Young Lane, near the 2000 block of San Jose Avenue. The next meeting will be held Tuesday, July 23, at 7 p.m.

To report a crime in progress, call 911. (Cell phone users, dial 553-8090.)