Noe Valley Voice February 2007
RETURN TO HOME PAGE
FEEDBACK

Police Beat

By Erin O'Briant

The man suspected of committing a string of burglaries in Noe Valley during November and December 2006 is in custody awaiting his preliminary hearing, according to Lt. Tom Buckley of the San Francisco Police Department's Burglary Detail.

Buckley confirmed that Ronnie Frazier, age 53, was arrested at about 5 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21, as reported in the San Francisco Chronicle that day. Officers chased Frazier through Dolores Park after they saw him getting into a stolen vehicle. The officers "had spotted the car and knew a burglar had been using it," said Buckley. "They were staking the car out."

Frazier is suspected of committing a series of "hot prowl" burglaries, in the area bordered by 20th, Castro, 26th, and Douglass streets. (See this month's Letters to the Editor for a resident's alert.)

"If you go into a house and it's occupied, it's called a hot prowl," explained Buckley. "That's the pinnacle of what we do [in the Burglary Detail], which elevated our concern that much more."

Frazier apparently did not force entry into the houses he is suspected of burglarizing. Instead, he entered through unlocked doors and windows. "Lock your doors and windows," Buckley said. "I can't say enough about protecting yourself and making sure your residence is protected."

Buckley said Frazier had been out of jail, where he had served a sentence for burglary, for only two weeks when the burglaries in Noe Valley began.

Frazier was booked on suspicion of burglary, possessing stolen property, auto theft, reckless driving, and committing a parole violation.

Community Crime Meeting Feb. 8

Neighborhood groups have organized a community meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8, to discuss the rise in residential and commercial crime in Noe Valley. According to Friends of Noe Valley President Richard May, who will moderate the discussion, the goal of the evening is to "talk to each other and with the police and the DA's office and begin to solve the problem."

Panelists will include Capt. Paul Chignell of Ingleside Police Station and Capt. John Goldberg of Mission Police Station, as well as a representative from the District Attorney's office. Attendees will have time to ask questions, and SF Safe, a crime prevention organization, will present information on forming block watches. "Criminals need to know we aren't sitting ducks anymore," May added.

The meeting will take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at St. Philip's Church on Diamond Street between 24th and Elizabeth streets. Free parking is available in the parking lot off 24th Street between Castro and Diamond and on the basketball courts off Elizabeth Street between the same cross streets. All Noe Valley residents and merchants are invited to attend.

Online Reporting

The SFPD now has an online reporting system for the following crimes:

* Lost Property

* Theft

* Vandalism

* Vehicle Tampering

* Vehicle Burglary

* Harassing Phone Calls

Using this system allows you to submit a report and immediately print out a copy. Additional information is available at the Police Department's web site: www.sfgov.org/site/police.

How to Contact the SFPD

The public is invited to attend police-community meetings held monthly at the Ingleside and Mission Police Stations. Ingleside meetings take place on the third Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., at Ingleside Station, 1 Sgt. John Young Lane, off the 2000 block of San Jose Avenue. Mission community meetings are held on the last Tuesday of the month, 6 p.m., at Mission Station, 630 Valencia Street near 17th Street.

Noe Valleyans who live north of Cesar Chavez Street (within the bounds of the Mission Police District) may contact Mission Station by calling 558-5400 or e-mailing SFPDMissionStation@ci.sf .ca.us. To report anonymously on drugs, gangs, or other crimes, call Mission Station's hotline at 575-4444.

Residents and merchants in Upper Noe Valley--south of Cesar Chavez Street--may contact Ingleside police by calling 404-4000 or e-mailing SFPD InglesideStation@ci.sf.ca.us. The Ingleside anonymous tip line is 587-8984.

For citywide online reporting of crimes such as vandalism, vehicle tampering, vehicle burglary, lost property, and harassing phone calls, go to www. sfgov.org/site/police.

To sign up for Ingleside Station's daily crime e-newsletter, e-mail Ingleside Capt. Paul Chignell at Paul.Chignell@sfgov.org. To request the Mission e-newsletter, write Capt. John Goldberg at John.Goldberg@sfgov.org.

To report a crime in progress, call 911. To report a non-emergency event or problem, call 553-0123.