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Police Beat is a roundup of crimes and other police incidents in Noe Valley. "Noe Valley" is defined as the area bordered by Grand View, 21st, Fair Oaks, and 30th streets. The following crime summaries were culled from May 2005 incident reports provided to the Voice by Mission and Ingleside police stations.

May 2005 Crime Log

Burglary of Apartment House, Unlawful Entry: Reported 8:15 a.m., Wednesday, May 4; 400 block of Douglass Street

Malicious Mischief, Vandalism of Vehicles: Reported 10:15 a.m., Wednesday, May 4; Hill and Castro streets

Burglary, Residence Under Construction, Forcible Entry: Reported 5 p.m., Wednesday, May 4; 3500 block of 24th Street (see sidebar)

Malicious Mischief, Vandalism of Vehicles: Reported 10 p.m., Wednesday, May 4; 3900 block of 23rd Street

Burglary of Residence, Unlawful Entry: Reported 2 p.m., Thursday, May 5; 200 block of Fair Oaks Street

Burglary of Residence, Unlawful Entry: Reported 1 a.m., Friday, May 6; 500 block of Elizabeth Street

Grand Theft from Locked Auto: Reported 3 p.m., Friday, May 6; 100 block of Chattanooga Street

Petty Theft from Locked Auto: Reported 8:30 p.m., Friday, May 6; 400 block of Valley Street

Lost or Stolen License Plate: Reported 10 a.m., Saturday, May 7; 29th and Dolores streets

Stolen Automobile: Reported 4 p.m., Saturday, May 7; 500 block of 27th Street

Grand Theft from Locked Auto: Reported 4:38 a.m., Sunday, May 8; 300 block of Elizabeth Street

Burglary of Apartment House, Forcible Entry: Reported 11 a.m., Monday, May 9; 1000 block of Dolores Street

Recovered Vehicle: Reported 11:45 a.m., Monday, May 9; 300 block of Hill Street

Petty Theft of Property: Reported 6 p.m., Monday, May 9; 1500 block of Church Street

Threats Against Life: Reported 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 10; 3500 block of Cesar Chavez Street

Grand Theft from Locked Auto: Reported 11 p.m., Tuesday, May 10; Cesar Chavez and Dolores streets

Battery: Reported 12:45 p.m., Wednesday, May 11; 1200 block of Noe Street. No further information is available about this crime because the victim and perpetrator are juveniles.

Malicious Mischief, Vandalism: Reported 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 11; first block of Elizabeth Street

Burglary of Flat, Forcible Entry: Reported 8:15 a.m., Thursday, May 12; 500 block of Elizabeth Street

Stolen Automobile: Reported 10 a.m., Thursday, May 12; 3500 block of 25th Street

Lost or Stolen License Plate: Reported 2 p.m., Thursday, May 12; 3600 block of 22nd Street

Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon: Reported 3 p.m., Thursday, May 12; 30th and Noe streets

Burglary of Apartment House, Unlawful Entry: Reported noon, Friday, May 13; 500 block of 27th Street

Burglary, Hot Prowl, Attempted Forcible Entry: Reported 3 p.m., Saturday, May 14; 1300 block of Church Street

Burglary of Apartment House, Attempted Forcible Entry: Reported 4:47 p.m., Saturday, May 14; 1400 block of Dolores Street

Petty Theft from Locked Auto: Reported 11:50 p.m., Saturday, May 14; 3500 block of Cesar Chavez Street

Grand Theft from a Building: Reported 4:12 a.m., Monday, May 16; 3500 block of 25th Street

Grand Theft of Property: Reported 9 a.m., Monday, May 16; 1500 block of Church Street

Grand Theft from Locked Auto: Reported 8 p.m., Monday, May 16; 3700 block of Cesar Chavez Street

Grand Theft from Locked Auto: Reported 11 p.m., Monday, May 16; 500 block of Clipper Street

Attempted Simple Assault: Reported 1:55 p.m., Tuesday, May 17; 3500 block of Cesar Chavez Street

Burglary of Flat, Unlawful Entry: Reported 8 a.m., Wednesday, May 18; 800 block of Church Street

Stolen Motorcycle: Reported 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 18; 600 block of Castro Street

Threats Against Life and Grand Theft of Property: Reported 3:30 and 3:40 p.m., Thursday, May 19; 1200 block of Noe Street. No further information about these crimes is available because the people involved are juveniles.

Burglary of Apartment House: Reported 9:30 p.m., Thursday, May 19; 1500 block of Noe Street

Grand Theft: Reported 4 p.m., Friday, May 20; 3700 block of Cesar Chavez Street

Malicious Mischief, Vandalism: Reported 12:30 p.m., Saturday, May 21; 1200 block of Noe Street

Stolen Motorcycle: Reported 11 p.m., Sunday, May 22; 700 block of Castro Street

Grand Theft from Locked Auto: Reported 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 25; first block of 28th Street

Burglary of Apartment House, Unlawful Entry: Reported 8:30 a.m., Thursday, May 26; 3500 block of 25th Street

Grand Theft from Locked Auto: Reported 8:15 p.m., Thursday, May 26; Church and Clipper streets

Petty Theft of Property: Reported 10:30 a.m., Friday, May 27; 24th and Church streets

Stolen Automobile: Reported 3 p.m., Friday, May 27; 25th and Dolores streets

Stolen Truck: Reported 10:30 p.m., Friday, May 27; 900 block of Douglass Street

Malicious Mischief and Under the Influence of Alcohol in a Public Place: Reported 2:45 a.m., Saturday, May 28; 1000 block of Dolores Street

Burglary of Residence, Forcible Entry: Reported 1 p.m., Saturday, May 28; 1500 Noe Street

Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon: Reported 1 a.m., Sunday, May 29; 800 block of Dolores Street

Petty Theft from Locked Auto: Reported 2 p.m., Sunday, May 29; 600 block of Clipper Street

Stolen Automobile: Reported 9:20 p.m., Sunday, May 29; 3900 block of 22nd Street

Stolen Automobile: Reported 1 p.m., Monday, May 30; 4100 block of Cesar Chavez Street

Stolen Automobile: Reported 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 31; 3600 block of 24th Street

Stolen Automobile: Reported 9 p.m., Tuesday, May 31; 4600 block of 25th Street

The Voice thanks Mission Police Officer Andrew MacIlrath for providing incident information and reports for this month's Police Beat. The reports were summarized by Voice writer Erin O'Briant.

HOW TO CONTACT THE SFPD

Noe Valley residents and merchants are invited to attend police-community meetings held monthly in both the Mission and Ingleside police districts. The next Ingleside meeting will be Tuesday, July 19, 7 p.m., at Ingleside Station, 1 Sgt. John Young Lane, off the 2000 block of San Jose Avenue. Ingleside's August meeting will be held at the same time and place on Aug. 16. The next Mission meeting will be Tuesday, July 26, 6 p.m., at Mission Station, 630 Valencia Street near 17th Street; the August meeting will be held Aug. 30.

Noe Valleyans who live or work north of Cesar Chavez Street (within the Mission Police District) may report recurring problems by phoning Mission Station at 558-5400 or e-mailing SFPDMissionStation@ci.sf.ca.us. To report anonymously on drugs, gangs, or other crimes, call Mission Station's nontraceable hotline at 552-4558.

Residents and merchants in Upper Noe Valley--south of Cesar Chavez Street--may contact Ingleside Station by calling 404-4000 or e-mailing SFPDInglesideStation@ci.sf.ca.us.

The Ingleside anonymous tip line is 587-8984. To sign up for the station's daily crime e-newsletter, e-mail Captain Paul Chignell at Paul_Chignell@ ci.sf.ca.us.

To report a crime in progress, call 911. To report a non-emergency situation in San Francisco, call 553-0123.

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Keep Your Home Safe During Construction

By Erin O'Briant

The burglar who broke into a house under construction in the 3500 block of 24th Street on May 4, 2005, took a typical haul: a few hundred dollars' worth of crystal and $4,000 in tools. Both items are easy to sell and relatively easy to steal, and according to the experts at S.F. SAFE, a house under construction can be an easy target.

Obviously, it's important to keep your house locked up tight in a big city like San Francisco, even if you live in relatively safe Noe Valley. But remodeling or construction can provide thieves with new opportunities.

"A lot of the workers don't come from the same company, so they don't recognize each other and they won't recognize someone pretending to be a contractor," says residential security specialist Rob MacKenzie of S.F. SAFE (Safety Awareness For Everyone), a non-profit crime prevention program run in conjunction with the San Francisco Police Department.

Even while workers are in the house, doors and windows tend to be open, creating chances for a thief to walk in and help himself, warns MacKenzie. "Also, there's a communication issue--maybe I leave [a door] open for you at the end of the day, but you think I've closed it and leave a different way." He says be sure to remind workers to talk to each other about who is locking up the house at the end of the day.

Second-story windows and decks become a security risk if ladders or scaffolding are around. Many people don't bother locking up their upper floors as tightly as the ground floors, figuring they'll be too difficult for thieves to bother with. But when you (or a neighbor) put up scaffolding or ladders, the upper stories are easy to reach. Thwart thieves by securely locking all second-story windows and doors, MacKenzie says. "It's best to do that ahead of time."

French doors, as attractive as they are, can also be a security problem. "Usually, the more frequently-used door of the pair locks into the other one," he notes. "If the less-used door isn't locked well in place, then the whole set is easy to pry open." The lesser-used door should have vertical deadbolts that go deep into the jambs above and below it.

And though most workers are honest, there are a few who will walk off with valuables that are left lying around. "Get references and be careful," MacKenzie suggests.

To avoid tempting someone into stealing your valuables, don't hide them in your bedroom. Instead, lock them up at the house of a trusted friend or relative, or put small items in a safe deposit box at your bank.

If you're not sure how secure your home is, take advantage of S.F. SAFE's security survey, which is available to all San Francisco residents for free. MacKenzie or another staff member will come to your home and help you determine how to make it safe from intruders, even during remodeling. Call S.F. SAFE at 673-SAFE or visit www.sfsafe.org.