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Noe Valley Voice

September 2009

Report from Mission Station

The following crime summaries were culled from incident reports filed at Mission Police Station. They cover some but not all incidents occurring July 16 through Aug. 15, 2009, in the northern half of Noe Valley, which is loosely defined as the area bounded by Grand View, 21st, Guerrero, and Cesar Chavez streets. The summaries this month were provided by Mission Station Captain Stephen Tacchini and Officer Jane Warner of the San FranciscoPatrol Special Police.

July 18, 5:39 p.m., 700 block of Church, Garage Burglary: A woman reported coming home to find her garage door open. Several deep scratches were in the paint of the door, and the lock was broken. Two bicycles valued at $2,500, a large duffle bag containing miscellaneous camping gear, a half a case of Dehlinger wine, a Nikon camera, and a portable power source were missing.

July 24, 3 a.m., 4000 block of 23rd, Burglary, Hot Prowl: While sleeping, a man awoke to a loud sound like a pan banging downstairs in his apartment. The man did not get up to investigate and went back to sleep. In the morning, when he went downstairs, he discovered the front door was slightly ajar and his wife's purse was missing along with a set of house keys. The resident called the police, who responded to the scene. While talking to officers, the man's wife received a call from her credit card company, reporting her Mastercard had been used at Chevron Gas Station at Castro and Market at 3:30 a.m., and then at another gas station in the city at 5:45 a.m., and then a third time at a Champs Shoe Store located in Chicago. The woman cancelled her credit card and gave the company a report number. Officers determined the point of entry for the burglar was an unlocked deck gate. There are no known suspects.

July 24, 1:33 p.m., 00 block of Grand View, Theft from Locked Vehicle: Witness observed a suspect smash a victim's vehicle window and remove the navigation system.

July 26, 8 p.m., 4000 block of 23rd, Theft, Bicycle: Victim accidentally left garage door open and upon return found personal items had been stolen. No suspects observed.

July 31, 10:30 p.m., 4000 block of 26th, Forged Checks: Victim noticed several unauthorized checks had been cashed on their account. Bank notified.

Aug. 1, 5:58 a.m., 3700 block of 24th, Malicious Mischief: Suspects damaged store windows and fled on foot.

Aug. 2, 1:04 a.m., 4000 block of 24th, Malicious Mischief: Suspects damaged store windows and fled in a car.

Aug. 8, 7:40 p.m., 1700 block of Noe, Theft from Vehicle: A man returned from vacation and saw that his 2005 Cadillac sitting in the carport of his residence had been broken into. Missing from inside the vehicle were several CDs, a Bluetooth, and various paperwork. There was no forced entry and the car may not have been locked.

Aug. 10, 1:50 p.m., 3900 block of 24th, Malicious Mischief: Suspect entered a store, knocked over stands, and then fled.

Aug. 11, 4:30 a.m., 600 block of Diamond, Burglary, Hot Prowl: A man went to bed at about 10:30 p.m. and woke up at about 4 a.m. and discovered his house had been ransacked; drawers were left open, closets had been rummaged through, and several items were strewn about the floor. The man, who lives alone, discovered a computer and printer were missing, along with a pair of binoculars and a digital camera. The resident called 911 and officers soon arrived and searched the house, finding a screen cut from a window in the basement. There are no known suspects.

Aug. 12, 2:10 a.m., 24th and Dolores, Traffic Arrest: While on routine patrol and stopped at the intersection of 24th and Dolores, a police officer could hear the roar of a large engine approaching from the opposite direction. As the noise grew increasingly louder, the officer suddenly saw a large four-door Toyota Tundra pickup truck crest over the hill, its rear wheels sailing in the air before crashing back down to the pavement. The officer estimated the truck was traveling at 60 miles per hour while speeding southbound on Dolores. The officer turned his patrol car around and gave chase, pulling the speeding vehicle over at Dolores and Clipper streets. The officer cited the driver, for exhibition of speed.

Aug. 13, 6:20 p.m., 24th and Church, Suspicious Acts Toward Female: A woman walking home from work noticed a faded black Japanese sedan following her. When she neared 24th and Church, the vehicle pulled up to her. "Can you tell me where 24th Street is?" the driver asked. The woman motioned toward the street, thinking that it was odd because the driver had just turned off of 24th. The car sped on, but a short time later as she neared 22nd Street, the vehicle pulled alongside of her. "Hey, baby," the driver yelled. When the woman looked over, she saw that the driver had his penis exposed and was masturbating. Fearing for her safety, the woman ran across the street and through Dolores Park and called a friend to come pick her up. Once home, the woman called 911 and reported the incident to police. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, 20-30 years old, wearing a red T-shirt.

Aug. 14, 7:15 a.m., 3000 block of 24th, Theft: A woman reported that she was waiting for the bus inside a coffee shop on 24th Street. When the bus came, she hurriedly got on and forgot her laptop computer, which she had left sitting on top of a table. When she discovered what she had done, she got off the bus and returned to the coffee shop about 20 minutes later. However, the black IBM laptop was gone.

Report from Ingleside Station

This crime log for Upper Noe Valley--an area roughly bordered by Cesar Chavez, Guerrero, 30th, and Diamond streets--has been culled from newsletters produced by Captain David Lazar of Ingleside Police Station. Incidents are those logged July 16 to Aug. 15, 2009, and may not include all events reported during the period. If you would like to receive Ingleside's newsletter, send an e-mail to SFPDInglesideStation@sfgov.org.

July 17, 8:31 a.m., 100 block of Day, Residential Burglary, Complex: The victim stated that she had secured her bicycle to the parking garage with a lock. When the victim returned, she found her bicycle and the lock missing.

July 18, 6:20 p.m., 00 block of 28th, Warrant Arrest: Officer Smith and Officer Richards responded to a call of a possible wanted person. Sergeant Paine searched the area and located the subject, who was wanted for a parole violation. The subject was booked.

July 19, 4:44 p.m., Diamond at 29th, Suspended License: While patrolling the area, Officers Campos, Ravano, and Hopkins observed a driver of a vehicle who they knew was on active felony probation. The male subject, who has a warrantless search condition, was stopped. The subject's license was suspended, so he was cited and vehicle was towed.

July 22, 11 a.m., 5200 block of Diamond Heights, Burglary: Officer Chan responded to a call of a home burglary. Victim noticed the front door was unlocked when he returned home. A laptop and PlayStation were taken.

July 22, 2:30 p.m., 1900 block of Castro, Vandalism: Officer Trujillo responded to a call of vandalism and met with the reportee, who told Officer Trujillo that she had gotten into an argument with her boyfriend. After the argument, the boyfriend broke her window and left the area.

July 23, 5:22 p.m., 1400 block of Church, Commercial Burglary: An unknown black male and unknown black female subject entered the store and separated. The female suspect kept the worker distracted while, it is believed, the male suspect stole about $260 from the register. Both suspects fled the store without purchasing anything, and the worker noticed that money from the register had been stolen.

July 27, 5:51 p.m., San Jose at Valley, Dog Bite: Officer Leong and Officer Kabanuck were flagged down by a victim of a dog bite. The victim said he attempted to pet a dog that was being walked by its owner, but the dog bit him. The dog and its owner left the area, and the victim was unable to get any information.

July 30, 8:36 p.m., 00 block of 28th, Burglary: Officer Chou and Officer Bernal were dispatched to a call of a burglary. The officers met with the resident, who said that he returned home to find his front door open and several personal items stolen.

July 29, 3:35 p.m., 1600 block of Diamond, Burglary: Officer Gabriel and Officer Pedersen responded to a report of a burglary. The reportee told the officers that he had inherited a home, but that it had been unoccupied because the premise had been damaged in a fire. Recently, an unauthorized suspect had started squatting on the property. The homeowner confronted the suspect, who fled prior to the police arriving on scene.

July 30, 4:55 p.m., 00 block of Duncan, Recovered Vehicle.

July 31, 11:15 p.m., 100 block of 28th, Death Report: Officer Baldovino and Officer Otaguro were dispatched to a call of a death and met with the Fire Department. The reportee stated that they had not been able to contact the relative for some time. The officers, with the assistance of the Fire Department, made entry into the premise and found the resident deceased.

July 30, 4:47 p.m., 200 block of 30th, Street Robbery: Officer Cvetovac and Officer Lewis were on foot patrol and noticed an unknown suspicious male running onto a Muni coach. A few minutes later, dispatch broadcast a call of a robbery where the suspect's description matched that of the suspicious person they had taken note of earlier. Officer Lewis, with the assistance of Officer Thompson, located the Muni bus and detained the suspect. The robbery victim positively identified the suspect and said that he had walked up on her and grabbed her cell phone out of her hand. The officers recovered the stolen cell phone off of the suspect, who was eventually booked for robbery.

Aug. 5, 1:30 a.m., San Jose at 30th, Unlicensed Driver: Officer Todaro stopped a vehicle for a red light violation. The driver did not have a license. The driver was cited and the vehicle was towed.

Aug. 5, 12:30 a.m., 1600 block of Diamond, Theft: Officer Jefferson was approached at Ingleside Station by a man regarding a theft. The man said he left some of his tools inside a house which the owner did not let him retrieve. The man admitted he did not have permission to be inside the house to begin with.

Aug. 8, 11:10 a.m., 700 block of 27th, Fire Report: Officer Curry responded to assist with a house fire in the area. Officer Curry and other officers in the area met with the occupant of the house and a neighbor whose house had also been damaged.

Aug. 8, 2:34 p.m., 1600 block of Diamond, Trespassing: Officer Fuentes and Officer Gabriel responded to a call regarding a trespasser. The officers were met by several neighbors in the area who said that a man they recognized from previous incidents had tried to gain entry into the building. The man drove by the scene while the officers were there, and was stopped. The owner of the property had advised the suspect and the neighbors that the suspect was not to be on the property. The suspect was then arrested for trespassing.

Aug. 8, 4:49 p.m., Guerrero at 27th, Suspended License: Officer Stansbury stopped a vehicle for speeding. The driver was driving with a suspended license. The driver was cited and the car was towed.

Aug. 8, 7:11 p.m., 5500 block of Diamond Heights, Theft: Officer Dominguez and Officer Ng responded to a call regarding an auto boost. They then met with the victim, who said that she parked her vehicle on the street. When she returned to it about 20 minutes later, she noticed that her passenger door was open. The victim's purse and all of its contents were missing.

Aug. 14, 9:32 p.m., 300 block of 29th, Theft: Officer Otaguro responded to a report of a theft. The victim told the officer that she discovered that her lemon trees had been stolen out of their pots in front of her house. The victim said she last saw the lemon trees on the afternoon of Aug. 14.

Tale of Two Districts

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 police monitor the northern half of the neighborhood, while Ingleside police patrol 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. This month, the meeting will be held Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the Excelsior Library, at 1400 Mission Street.

Police Contacts

Mission Station: 558-5400

Anonymous Tip Line: 552-4558

Capt. Stephen Tacchini: 558-5455

Stephen.Tacchini@sfgov.org

Ingleside Station: 404-4000

Anonymous Tip Line: 587-8984

Capt. David Lazar: 404-4000

David.Lazar@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 S.F. Dispatch directly: 415-553-8090.