Noe Valley Voice July-August 2009
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Police Meet in Noe Valley

Ingleside Police Station will hold its regular community meeting at Upper Noe Valley Recreation Center this month. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, at 7 p.m. To confirm, call the station at 404-4000 or the rec center at 970-8061. In addition, Captain David Lazar, commander at Ingleside, has been lined up to speak at the next meeting of Upper Noe Neighbors, on Thursday, July 30, 7:30 p.m. That meeting also will be held at Upper Noe Recreation Center, located at Day and Sanchez streets. For information about the Neighbors, call 285-0473.

REPORT FROM MISSION POLICE STATION

The following crime summaries were culled from incident reports filed at Mission Police Station. They cover some but not all incidents occurring May 16 through June 15, 2009, in the northern half of Noe Valley, which is loosely defined as the area within Grand View, 21st, Guerrero, and Cesar Chavez streets. The summaries this month were provided by Officer Jane Warner of the San Francisco Patrol Special Police. Mission Station Captain Stephen Tacchini promises to be back with a report in September.

May 29, 5:10 p.m., Church & 26th, Fraud by Game or Trick: A woman was walking on the street when she was approached by a man who asked her to help him cash a lottery ticket he had won. The man told her he was an illegal immigrant and could not cash the ticket without proper identification. While they were talking, another woman approached the pair and offered her help as well. The second woman used her cell phone and told them she was calling the lottery office to find out what to do. After the phone conversation, the woman said the lottery office had told her that the State of California required a $20,000 deposit to cash the lottery ticket. Both women agreed to put up half. The couple offered to drive the first woman to her bank in the man's van. After the three arrived at Wells Fargo, the woman went into the bank and returned with $10,000. The man told the woman that he was feeling sick and asked her if she wouldn't mind going to the corner store and buying him some aspirin. The woman agreed and went across the street to the store. When she returned, the couple and the $10,000 were gone. (Editor's note: See similar incident logged at Ingleside Station, right.)

May 30, 6:06 a.m., 4000 block of 24th, Burglary--Hot Prowl: A woman got up after sleeping all night to discover her kitchen door was slightly ajar. When she opened the door, she noticed several kitchenware items and drinking glasses were missing. As she looked out her kitchen window, she saw the items lying on the deck outside. The woman also saw a ladder lying on the deck which did not belong to her. After further investigation, the woman discovered her black Novara bicycle missing, along with her laptop computer valued at $1,300. The woman called police and then talked to her neighbor who reported that his dog was barking at about four in the morning. Officers arrived, conducted an investigation, and determined the point of entry was an unlocked kitchen window. There are no known suspects.

May 30, 11:05 p.m., 24th & Douglass, Robbery with Force: After getting off the 24 Muni bus at 24th and Castro, a woman was approached from behind by two men. One of the men grabbed her around the neck in a chokehold. The other pulled her hat down over her eyes and then punched her in the face and ribs. The force of the blows caused her to fall to the sidewalk. The suspects were saying something, but the victim said she couldn't hear because she had been listening to her iPod. Fearing for her life, the woman screamed and started kicking her assailants, both described as in their early 20s and wearing baggy clothing. Laughing, the men grabbed her hat and fled to a parked blue four-door Honda Accord, got in, and drove northbound on Douglass toward 23rd Street. The 28-year-old woman, who was not seriously injured during the attack, walked home and reported the incident to police.

June 7, 11:50 a.m., 1300 block of Sanchez, Burglary (reported): A man came home and walked inside his kitchen and was startled to see his kitchen window open and the love seat underneath the window pushed away from the wall. After he searched other rooms, he saw that the entire house had been rummaged through. Drawers had been pulled out, papers strewn about the floor, and several jewelry boxes lay empty on top of the bed. A second window was open in the basement, but no suspect was found. Officers arrived and determined the point of entry for the burglar was the kitchen window, which was closed but not locked; the point of exit was likely the basement window. The man was unable to tell officers what jewelry was missing until his wife got home. There are no known suspects.

June 12, 11:55 a.m., 4000 block of 24th, 6-12-09, Burglary: Three women and one man walked into a small hair salon on 24th Street and started talking to the clerk, distracting her attention. One of the women snuck around the counter and used the key that was inside the lock of the cash register to open the drawer, taking out an undetermined amount of cash. The clerk realized what was going on, but all four suspects ran out the door, jumped into a silver four-door sedan, and sped west toward Noe Street. A witness wrote down a partial plate number for the sedan. Officers searched the area, but could not find it.

REPORT FROM INGLESIDE POLICE STATION

This crime log for Upper Noe Valley--an area roughly bordered by Cesar Chavez, Guerrero, 30th, and Diamond streets--has been culled from newsletters produced by Captain David Lazar of Ingleside Police Station. It may not include every incident reported in the neighborhood from May 16 to June 15, 2009. If you would like to receive the newsletter, send an e-mail to SFPDInglesideStation@sf gov.org.

May 16, 8:16 a.m., 200 block of Day, Graffiti: Officer Najarro prepared a report regarding graffiti vandalism.

May 22, 9:54 a.m., 800 block of San Jose Ave., Robbery: Victim was approached by three male subjects who took victim's money at gunpoint.

May 24, 4:08 a.m., Dolores & 27th, Vehicle Burglary, Probation Violation, Resisting: Officers McNamara and Lozano responded to the above area regarding a vehicle theft in progress. The suspect was exiting the vehicle through a shattered window when the officers arrived. The suspect ran away from the officers but was later located in the back yard of a nearby residence.

May 24, 12:10 a.m., 1900 Diamond, Warrant Arrest: Officer Coles responded to a call from a concerned citizen, about a subject breaking into a mobile home. The subject was not breaking in but was repairing a damaged window on the mobile home. The subject, however, had two outstanding warrants.

May 26: 9 a.m., 100 block of Clipper, Theft from Vehicle: Window was broken and victim's satellite radio receiver was stolen.

May 28, 11:50 p.m., 1400 block of Church, Robbery: While walking on Church, a female victim was approached from behind by two males wearing dark clothing and hooded sweatshirts. One suspect pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded her bag. He then took the victim's bag, containing her computer.

May 28, 6:57 a.m., Valley & Sanchez, Traffic Collision.

May 28, 6:35 p.m., 100 block of Day, Stolen Vehicle.

May 29, 10:30 a.m., 00-100 block of 30th, Vandalism to Vehicle: Officer Frisk prepared a report of a vandalism to vehicle.

June 1, 10:50 a.m., 1500 block of Noe, Vandalism/Trespassing: Officer Araujo prepared a report of graffiti on a garage.

June 3, 8:08 p.m., 900 block of Duncan, Vehicle Theft.

June 4, 2:55 p.m., Dolores & 30th, Robbery with Force: While patrolling this area, Officers Altamirano and Thompson were approached by a witness to a robbery. They were led to the victim, who stated she was riding the J-Church line when she was approached by a male suspect. The suspect forcibly removed her iPhone from her hand and ran off with several other suspects. All of the suspects were located in the immediate area and taken into custody.

June 7, 12:58 a.m., San Jose Ave. & 30th, Suspended License: Officer McCall observed a vehicle with expired registration. After stopping the vehicle, Officer McCall determined the driver had a suspended license and no proof of insurance. Officer McCall issued a citation for all three violations and towed the vehicle.

June 8, 7:32 p.m., Guerrero & Cesar Chavez, Suspended License: Officer Sullivan saw a vehicle with expired registration and made a traffic stop. He then learned the driver had a suspended license. Officer Sullivan issued a citation to the driver for both violations and had the vehicle towed.

June 8, 6:38 p.m., 00-100 block 28th, Vandalism: Officer Shinbori prepared a report of vandalism to a carport.

June 9, 8:51 p.m., San Jose Ave. & 29th, Suspended License: Officer Preston conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle that made an unsafe starting movement. Officer Preston then determined the driver had a suspended license. Officer Preston cited the driver for both violations and towed the vehicle.

June 10, 9:50 a.m., Guerrero & 28th, Suspended License: Officer Hallisy witnessed a vehicle fail to yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk and conducted a traffic stop. When Officer Hallisy learned the driver had a suspended license, he cited the driver for both violations and had the vehicle towed.

June 10, 4:30 p.m., 29th & Dolores, Theft from Vehicle: PSA Knuckles prepared a report of theft of video equipment from a locked vehicle.

June 10, 9:30 a.m., 600 block 30th, Vehicle Recovery.

June 11, 10:50 a.m., San Jose Ave. & 28th, Suspended License: Officer Rand conducted a traffic stop for a failure to yield to a pedestrian. After determining the driver had a suspended license, he was cited and the vehicle was towed.

Scam Alerts!

Police Captain David Lazar of Ingleside Station issued these scam alerts in late May and mid-June.

Parking Lot Peril

May 27: Scam artists have been positioning themselves behind vehicles driven by elderly people. When the vehicle backs up to exit a parking space, the suspect claims to have been hit. The suspect then demands monetary payment. This scam occurred at the Safeway parking lot at 4950 Mission Street. The elderly victim went to the bank and paid the victim $500.

Doing a Lottery Number

On Friday, May 30, at 12:30 p.m., a 70-year-old woman was approached on Church Street near Cesar Chavez by two individuals. One was a male in his 30s, 5'1, claiming to be from El Salvador, who was acting confused and worried because he could not find a lawyer's office. A woman, claiming to be of Puerto Rican descent, wearing sunglasses and a hat, 5'4" tall, walked up moments later, and was the man's accomplice. While acting as though they had never met, they coerced the woman into making a series of decisions, ultimately defrauding, or "scamming," her of $10,000.

These individuals produced a lottery ticket with a purported value of $1 million. Pleading for help in finding the attorney, they tricked the woman into providing them with half of the $20,000 deposit required to "claim the prize money." The individuals took the woman's money, put it in a Fed Ex envelope, then switched it with an identical envelope containing cut-up newspaper. Please be cautious about these scams!

--Capt. David Lazar

Tale of Two Districts

Noe Valley is split between two San Francisco police jurisdictions: Mission Police District and Ingleside Police District. With Cesar Chavez Street as the dividing line, Mission police monitor the northern half of the neighborhood, while Ingleside police watch over the southern half. Both districts invite citizens to attend police-community meetings, held monthly. Mission Police District holds meetings on the last Tuesday of the month, 6 p.m., at Mission Station, 630 Valencia Street near 17th Street. Ingleside's community meetings take place on the third Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., at various locations in the district. This month, the meeting will be held Tuesday, July 21, at Upper Noe Valley Rec Center, at Day and Sanchez streets.

To contact Mission Station, call 558-5400. You also may call Mission Station Capt. Stephen Tacchini at 558-5455 or e-mail him at Stephen.Tacchini@sfgov.org. Mission's tip line for anonymous reporting is 552-4558. To contact Ingleside, call 404-4000, or e-mail Capt. David Lazar at David.Lazar@sfgov.org. The Ingleside anonymous tip line is 587-8984.

To file a police report, go to any local station or file online at www.sfgov.org. To report a crime in progress, call 911. Cell phone users can dial S.F. Dispatch directly: 415-553-8090.