December-January 1998-99 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK

The only October robbery on my Noe Valley beat -- at least the only one reported to police -- was a serious one. It was an armed robbery of a 42-year-old man who had just withdrawn money from an ATM on 24th Street.

The incident occurred at 12:50 a.m. on Oct. 12, as the man was leaving the Home Savings ATM at the corner of 24th and Noe streets. He rode his bicycle east on the sidewalk, then noticed a silver Toyota stopped in the street.

A man appearing to be about 40 years old stepped out of the car, pointed a gun at the cyclist, and demanded money. The cyclist complied by handing over his wallet. The robber took the wallet, then frisked the cyclist before fleeing east on 24th Street in the car. The cyclist briefly followed and got the license plate number of the getaway car.

As of mid-November, the suspect was still at large.

Check Your Locks and Doors

Nine burglaries were reported during October. Four houses were broken into on four separate days (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday). There were two burglaries to apartments and two to stores. In the shop burglaries, the doors were forced open, reminiscent of a string of commercial burglaries in which the suspect was captured several months ago.

Watch Out for Identity Theft

A 34-year-old man and resident of Fair Oaks Street came to Mission Station to report that a suspect somehow obtained his date of birth, social security number, and bank account numbers, which were then used to fraudulently open two credit card accounts and a cellular phone service. The suspect also created computer-generated checks using the reportee's actual bank account numbers, and cashed two of the checks.

Here are some ways for you to avoid a similar misfortune:

- Keep track of all your identifying numbers.

- Do not provide any account or i.d. information over the phone unless you have initiated the call to a known party.

- If asked for your social security number to be used as an i.d. number (a frequent practice of HMOs), request to use another number.

- Tear up those credit applications sent to you via direct mail marketing. DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT recycle those applications intact. The same goes for old or canceled checks and account statements, including stock and mutual fund statements, which frequently display your social security number.

- To catch any fraud early, periodically request credit reports from the three major reporting companies.

Party Hardy, But Know Your Friends

After the bars closed on Oct. 17, a 22-year-old woman invited 10 people to her parents' home on Clipper Street to continue the party. However, when she awoke at 11 a.m., she found that money had been stolen from her dresser, and her father's car had been stolen from the garage.

Happily, the car was returned to her at 4 p.m. that day. No word on the money.

Egged, But Why?

On Oct. 17 at 3:10 a.m., a 43-year-old man was targeted by a group of 25-year-old men, one of whom threw an egg at him while he walked up the steps to his girlfriend's house on the 3900 block of 22nd Street. The man first heard two of the suspects yell something indiscernible at him. Although the egg missed its target, the man tripped and injured his hand while trying to avoid being hit.

If the egg-throwers have a political motive, the police would like to hear it.

Three Follow-Ups

The 45-year-old woman accused of assaulting Officer Barbara Pinelli near Happy Donuts on Aug. 11 continues to make her court appearances and is scheduled for jury trial on Jan. 15, 1999.

On Oct. 29, the 19-year-old man arrested in April for numerous auto boosts in Noe Valley had his charges dismissed upon his successful completion of a pretrial diversion program.

The 20-year-old man who robbed a 30-year-old woman in February at 3865 24th St. pled guilty to second-degree robbery and was due to be sentenced in late November.

Nanook of the North

Many of you asked where I was for two weeks during October. Okay, I'll 'fess up. For one week, I attended my ninth annual International Association of Women Police training conference in Anchorage, Alaska. The next week, I followed my wanderlust and traveled throughout the north, including a trip to British Columbia and sharing some post-conference time with my Royal Canadian Mounted Police buddies Deb, Jan, and Kim; my British constabulary cousins Liz and Sue; and my ever-patient friend who investigates Russian organized crime in the eastern states, Marilyn.

Happy Holidays

As the days grow short and we prepare for the winter solstice, I'd like to send my heartfelt thanks for all your efforts to support one another within our community.

Be safe. I'll see you on patrol.