Noe Valley Voice June 2010
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REPORT FROM MISSION STATION

The Voice thanks 24th Street Beat Officer Lorraine Lombardo for providing this tally of incidents occurring in the part of Noe Valley within the Mission Police District. The log includes some but not all incidents reported April 11 to May 10, 2010, in the area bordered by Grand View, 21st, Guerrero, and Cesar Chavez streets. To contact Officer Lombardo, call Mission Station at 558-5400.

April 14, 8 a.m., Sanchez & Hill, Auto Burglary: Victim parked his locked vehicle overnight. When he returned, he found the front passenger-side window broken and his iPod and adapter stolen.

April 14, 10 a.m., Douglass & 25th, Auto Burglary: Victim parked his rental car overnight and when he returned found the front passenger window smashed. His MP3 player and GPS device were stolen from the glove box. His Minolta camera and suitcase were taken from the front passenger floor.

April 14, 10:15 p.m., first block of Hill, Stolen Auto: A green, two-door 2000 Honda Civic.

April 17, 11:55 p.m., 200 block of Jersey, Exhibiting Deadly Weapon: Police responded to a call of a subject with a knife. The altercation between roommates happened over the theft of a grapefruit and prescription pain medication. One roommate armed herself with a kitchen knife and threatened the other.

April 30, 9:30 p.m., 4000 block of 26th, Stolen Bicycles: A black Look 555 racing bike ($2,000) and a blue older mountain bike with blue trim were stolen from the garage of a building where the garage door may have been left unsecured.

May 1, 11 a.m., Clipper & Sanchez, Auto Burglary: Victim parked his vehicle on the street for three days. When he returned, he found his back passenger window had been broken and various tools had been stolen.

May 2, 11:40 p.m., 21st near Sanchez, Vehicle Accident: A man suspected of driving under the influence of drugs ran into a parked vehicle, spun out, and then hit another parked vehicle. He was placed under arrest for driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, and not having a license in his possession.

May 4, 11:45 p.m., 24th & Church, Man High on Drugs: Officers were sent to a call to check on the well-being of a man who was "severely tweaking." They found him to be agitated and in constant motion. He continuously grabbed his hair, moved his head from side to side, and showed other odd behavior. He was identified as a parolee and placed under arrest for being in possession of narcotics paraphernalia. The California Department of Corrections placed a parole hold on him.

May 7, 3:40 p.m., 3900 block of 24th, Vehicle Accident: Officer Lombardo responded to a call of an accident in front of Whole Foods Market. She found that a parked ambulance, with two paramedics sitting inside it, had been hit by a Whole Foods customer making a right turn after leaving the parking lot. Both vehicles had damage, but no one was hurt.

--Officer Lorraine Lombardo

Mission Police Station

REPORT FROM INGLESIDE STATION

The following police blotter covers incidents reported April 11 to May 10, in Upper Noe Valley--the area roughly bounded by Cesar Chavez, Guerrero, 30th, and Diamond streets. The incidents were culled from newsletters produced by Capt. Louis Cassanego of Ingleside Police Station. The log may not include all crimes reported during the period.

April 10, 10 a.m., Valley at Church, Theft from Locked Vehicle: A victim called 311 and reported that his vehicle was forcefully entered by an unknown suspect who broke a window and pried the car door. The suspect took numerous items of property from the passenger compartment of the vehicle, including a GPS unit and an iPod.

April 12, 8:07 a.m., Church at 30th, Pickpocket: Officer Hopkins responded to the report of a robbery. The victim said she was waiting at a bus stop when she noticed a male staring at her. She turned her head away, and that is when the suspect reached into her pocket and stole her cell phone. The suspect then fled the scene on foot. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male (5-foot-7, 150 pounds, 16 to 18 years old) wearing a black hat with a black jacket and blue pants.

April 13, 1:06 p.m., 1500 block of Sanchez, Credit Application Fraud: A married couple told Officer Sanchez that they were victims of fraud. They received a bill from a company with whom they had no business. They learned from a company representative that an account had been opened in the husband's name and with the wife's social security number. They also discovered that someone had attempted to apply for a credit card with a large chain store using the same information. The credit had been denied. The couple were advised to contact the credit reporting agencies.

April 13, 8:30 a.m., 400 block of 28th, Stolen Auto

April 14, 6:22 p.m., 1400 block of Church, Fraud: Officer Sugitan and Officer Hom responded to the report of fraud. The victim said that while checking his online bank statement, he discovered that his cleaning lady had used his checking account to pay for his Comcast bill without permission.

April 14, 9:57 p.m., first block of 28th, Burglary: Officer Brown was dispatched to the report of a burglary. The victim said that one of his family members had left the building's garage door open and someone had stolen his bicycle from the garage.

April 16, 7:25 a.m., first block of 29th, Recovered Auto

April 19, 12:20 a.m., 100 block of 29th, Burglary, Residence and Vehicle: Sergeant Heidohrn arrived first at a burglary-in-progress call and detained a suspect inside the victims' garage. Other Ingleside officers responded shortly thereafter, including Officer Guzman, and conducted an investigation. The suspect was found to have entered the locked building by forcing a door open. The suspect entered the garage and broke into one vehicle and entered two others, attempting to steal the vehicles. The suspect entered the living areas of the buildings and entered a unit where no one was home. Property belonging to the suspect was found in the apartment unit. The victim identified the suspect, and he was taken into custody.

April 19, 6:15 a.m., 1600 block of Church, Narcotics Paraphernalia: Officer Trujillo, with other Ingleside officers, responded to an apartment regarding a dispute. Upon their arrival they met with a woman who stated that she and her boyfriend had had an argument and that her boyfriend had left the residence. The officers found him hiding in a closet. Though there was no merit to a physical confrontation, the officers found narcotics paraphernalia on the male suspect. The suspect was cited and released at the scene.

April 19, 8:31 a.m., 700 block of 27th, False Impersonation: While working station duty, Officer Altamirano was approached by a victim who stated that she was just informed by a collection agency that an account was opened in her name with her social security number, with a cell phone company. The victim had not opened the account and had not authorized another to do so.

April 20, 3:45 p.m., Church & 28th, Robbery with Force: Officer Androvich responded to a robbery report. The victim told the officer that he was riding an outbound J-Church LRV when an African American adult male, 20 to 24, 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, wearing a black beanie cap and a fake diamond earring, shoved him and grabbed his hand. The victim was holding his iPhone and listening to music via earphones. The suspect forced the phone from the victim's hand and pulled the earphones from his ears. The suspect then ran from the train.

April 22, 4:34 p.m., 2400 block of Castro, Theft from Vehicle: PSA Guituan prepared a report at Ingleside Station regarding a theft from a vehicle. The victim said that she returned to her parked vehicle to find that one of the windows was shattered. The victim's purse and GPS system were missing from inside the vehicle.

April 26, 10:48 a.m., 1900 block of Diamond, Burglary: Officer Rueca responded to a report of a burglary in progress. The victim said that he was inside his home when he heard the sound of the rustling of papers from downstairs in the house. The victim investigated and found a window broken near the front door. He then discovered that his wallet, which had been on a counter, was opened and some cash was missing.

May 6, 9:38 p.m., 200 block of 29th, Burglary/Auto Theft: Officer Pigford and Officer Fung responded to the report of a burglary. The victim said that he was inside his house when he heard suspicious noises in his garage. When he went to investigate, he saw his car speeding off down the street. Also missing from the garage were two mountain bikes.

May 8, 11 a.m., 400 block of 29th, Burglary, Apartment, Forced Entry: The owner of an apartment building called regarding a burglary. Officers Ma and Garcia spoke with the victim, who told them that an unknown suspect forced the front door and garage door of the building. The suspect then broke the locks off of numerous closets within the garage and stole numerous items of electronics and cameras. One of the tenants also had property stolen from the garage.

May 8, 8 a.m. 200 block of Valley, Stolen Auto

Police Beat was compiled and edited by Jan Goben and Sally Smith.

Online Shopping? Rendezvous at the Bank

In his May 4 online newsletter, Ingleside Station Capt. Louis Cassanego warned of the hazards of meeting a stranger in unfamiliar surroundings.

A report came across my desk of a robbery with a knife. The victim saw an advertisement on Craigslist.com for a Microsoft X-Box and agreed to meet the seller in the Sunnydale Public Housing Community. When the victim arrived, he was told to drive to a unit a block or two away. Once at the new location, the victim was set upon by two suspects and robbed at knifepoint. Robberies involving Craigslist ads have been more common in the East Bay, but this is the first I've heard of one in the Visitacion Valley area.

If you do use Craigslist to shop, I suggest you use a great deal of caution. The suspect will probably bring reinforcements, know you have an approximate amount of cash, and be familiar with the terrain of the meeting. When a possible victim arrives, the suspect can assess if the victim is alone, vulnerable, and naive. The suspect has all the advantages and can simply walk away, if he suspects something is awry.

One way to avoid being a victim is to meet the seller in a public forum, where there are plenty of people about and security and video cameras are the standard. For example, you can ask the seller to meet you in your bank, where you can withdraw the cash when the deal is struck.

--Capt. Louis Cassanego

Police Borders

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 Station covers the northern half of the neighborhood, while Ingleside patrols 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 different locations in the district. This month, the meeting will be held June 15 at Ingleside Station, 1 Sgt. John V. Young Lane.

Police Contacts

Mission Station: 558-5400
Anonymous Tip Line: 552-4558
Newsletter: sfpd.mission.station@sfgov.org
Capt. Greg Corrales: 558-5455
Gregory.Corrales@sfgov.org

Ingleside Station: 404-4000
Anonymous Tip Line: 587-8984
Test-a-Tip Line: 847411
Newsletter: sfpd.ingleside.station@sfgov.org
Capt. Louis Cassanego: 404-4030
Louis.Cassanego@sfgov.org

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 Police Dispatch directly: 415-553-8090.