Noe Valley Voice March 2008
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Crime Beat

By Officer Jane Warner

San Francisco Patrol Special Police

The following crime summaries were culled from reports filed at Mission Police Station. They cover some but not all incidents occurring in Noe Valley from Jan. 15 to Feb. 15, 2008. "Noe Valley," in this instance, is the area bounded by Grand View, 20th, Guerrero, and Cesar Chavez streets.

Burglary: 3700 block of 24th Street, 2-2-08, 2:13 p.m.

Upon leaving his residence, a man discovered that his car had been broken into while it was parked in the gated garage of his apartment complex on 24th Street. The rear driver-side window of the red Jeep 4x4 had been smashed, and windshield glass lay scattered about the carport. Missing from the car was medical diagnostic equipment valued at $1,000, a black leather briefcase, and a canvas tote bag with white lettering. Police officers arrived and found there was no forced entry to the garage gate. They surmised that the thief had entered when the garage gate was open or come via the stairwell of the apartment complex.

Lost Property: 3800 block of 24th Street, 2-2-08, 11:45 p.m.

After leaving a small coffee shop on 24th Street, a woman noticed that her wallet was missing from her pocket. Doubling back, the woman carefully retraced her steps and searched the cafe for her missing bi-fold, which contained no money, just her bank card. Unsuccessful in her attempts to locate the missing clutch, the woman left her number with the waitress and walked to Mission Station, where she reported the loss. She also notified her bank of the theft.

Burglary: 700 block of Guerrero Street, 2-3-08, 9:41 a.m.

A resident walked out of his apartment door and noticed that the front of his building had been vandalized. Fresh shoe prints were on the door of the breezeway as well as on his front door, as if someone had tried to kick it in. The resident left to get a cup of coffee. When he came back, he noticed that his neighbor's door had the same shoe prints near the door handle and that the door panel had been cracked. The resident notified his neighbor by phone, then called police. Officers arrived and conducted an investigation, finding that three other apartments had damaged doors and two storage units had been broken into. At the time of the first police report, nothing was missing.

Burglary: 700 block of Diamond Street, 2-5-08, 3:06 a.m.

Police responded to a restaurant on Diamond Street after a report of a possible break-in. An officer met with the caller, who stated that he was walking by and saw that the establishment's door was open. After checking the door and observing that it had been forced open, the officer called for backup. Several officers responded to the scene and set up a perimeter around the building. Other officers went into the restaurant to look for a suspect. After completing a thorough search, the police determined that no one was inside. The owner of the restaurant arrived and determined that nothing was missing and the only thing damaged was the door. Officers believe the burglar was in the process of breaking in when the neighbor passed by, and the suspect fled the scene before entering the restaurant.

Burglary: 700 block of Diamond Street, 2-5-08, 7:55 a.m.

When an employee of a small eatery at Diamond and 24th streets came to work in the morning, he discovered the front doors of the café forced open. There were pry marks around the door frame, and the deadbolt, along with several screws, was lying on the ground. The worker called the owner at home, who responded to the café. After observing the damage to the door, the owner went to the café's office and discovered that it had been ransacked. Filing cabinets had been forced open, papers were strewn on the floor, a safe had been moved, and the store's surveillance camera was missing.

The owner told responding police that the only thing missing that he could determine was the video camera and the tape inside it, which most likely caught the crime in progress. Officers called CSI, which responded and dusted for fingerprints. After processing the scene, investigators concluded that this crime and the attempted break-in at a nearby restaurant earlier in the day probably were committed by the same suspect. Anyone with further information is asked to call SFPD's Burglary Detail at 553-1351.

Burglary: 900 block of Noe Street, 2-11-08, 11:45 a.m.

Two men walked into a chiropractic office on Noe Street near 22nd and presented themselves as potential clients. One of the men walked over to the office's drinking fountain and engaged in friendly conversation with the doctor, as the other man asked to use the bathroom down the hall. When the second man came back from using the bathroom, they both started to engage the staff in friendly conversation. One of the men made an appointment and left his number, leaning over the counter while doing so. The doctor left the room to help another client. When she came back, the men were gone. Another doctor, who was just arriving, stated that she saw the men run from the office and get into an older green sedan driven by a third man. The doctors noticed that a drawer in the office had been left partially open and an envelope containing $75 was missing. Both suspects were described as African American, between 20 and 30 years old, six feet tall, and over 200 pounds. There was no description on the third suspect who drove the car. Police believe these suspects may be responsible for a theft and an assault on a security guard at the Safeway at 2020 Market Street nine days earlier. The car in that incident was described as a green Buick.

As a member of the San Francisco Patrol Special Police, Officer Jane Warner walks beats in Noe Valley and the Castro District. You can reach her by sending an e-mail to sfpatrol@earthlink.net or calling 559-9955.

Noe's Police Districts

Noe Valley falls under the jurisdiction of two San Francisco police districts: Mission and Ingleside. Mission Police Station covers the northern half of the neighborhood, including 24th Street, and Ingleside the southern half, starting at Cesar Chavez Street.

Both districts hold monthly meetings that are open to the public. Mission Police District's community meetings are held on the last Tuesday of the month, at 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 Ingleside Police Station off Balboa Park at San Jose Avenue.

To speak to an officer at Mission Station, call 558-5400 or e-mail SFPDMissionStation@ci.sf.ca.us. The station's tip line for anonymous reporting of drug or gang activity is 392-2623. To contact Ingleside, call 404-4000 or e-mail SFPDInglesideStation@ci.sf.ca.us. The Ingleside anonymous tip line is 575-4444. For citywide online reporting, go to www.sfgov.org/site/police.

To report a crime in progress, call 911. Using a cell phone? Call S.F. Dispatch, 553-8090. For non-emergencies or to make a report, call 553-0123.

Reporting an Incident

To report a crime in progress, call 911. To report a non-emergency problem, call 553-0123. For online reporting of crimes such as vandalism, car thefts, lost property, and harassing phone calls, go to the city's website: www.sfgov.org/site/police.