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Police Beat is a roundup of crimes and other police incidents in Noe Valley, defined as the area bordered by Grand View, 21st, Fair Oaks, and 30th streets. The following crime summaries were culled from incident reports filed at Mission and Ingleside police stations during the month of October 2003.

Theft of Vehicle: Between 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, and 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6; unit block of Valley Street

Someone stole a white 1985 two-door Saab from where it was parked in the unit block of Valley Street sometime between Oct. 1 and Oct. 6. The owner said the car was locked and bears the California license plate 4KWH935.

Vehicle Tampering: Between 9:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, and 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7; 200 block of Day Street

Someone slashed the convertible top of a blue 1999 Mazda Miata parked in the 200 block of Day Street overnight on Oct. 6. The gash measured about 18 inches. It appeared that someone had rummaged through the interior of the car--which had been locked--but nothing was missing.

Burglary, Residence Under Construction: Between 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, and 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9; 1300 block of Diamond Street

Someone stole a black Dell Latitude laptop computer from a home office in a house located in the 1300 block of Diamond Street. The house was being renovated and had been under construction for about 10 weeks.

The owner said she had been in and out of the house during that time and had noticed on the afternoon of Oct. 9 that the garage door had been left partially open. The area where the computer was located was on the ground floor next to the garage.

There was no sign of forced entry, and no other items appeared to be missing.

Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer: 10:25 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12; Church and Valley streets

While on another call, two police officers were approached by a man who was pushing a shopping cart filled with glass bottles and aluminum cans. The man told police that the cashier at a store in the 1600 block of Church Street had taken $5 from him. The officers asked the man to wait on the corner until they finished with their original call. As he was pushing his cart to the corner, it overturned, spilling its contents onto the sidewalk.

The officers went into the store and talked to the owners, who said the man with the cart had threatened to throw a bottle at them. They added that they did not want the man to come back in.

When the officers returned to the man with the cart and instructed him not to return to the store, he became angry and shouted that he wanted his money back. The officers told him to clean up the rest of his bottles and leave the area. He refused and started swearing at them.

One of the officers took hold of the man's right arm and directed him back to his cart. The officer reported smelling alcohol on the man's breath. The man allegedly swung his right arm, trying to get away from the officer, and ended up falling to the ground.

The officer determined that the man was intoxicated and unable to take care of himself. He still had hold of the man, who was kicking and screaming. The man tried to get up twice, but the officer held him down.

At that point, a woman came out of a nearby building and asked the officers to leave the man alone. When the man was allowed to get to his feet, he took what one officer described as a defensive stance, with his hands in a fist as he walked back to the cart, with the police officer following. The man was about three feet away from the officer when he picked up a bottle and held it in his hand.

The officer drew his gun and pointed it at the man. He demanded several times that he put down the bottle. The man refused, and other people who were looking out of the building began to shout at the officers, saying "A gun's not necessary" and "I'm calling the real police."

Additional officers arrived on the scene and arrested the 38-year-old man, an apparent transient. As he was being put into the police car, the man allegedly kicked one of the officers in the knee.

Theft of Vehicle: Between 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, and 8:15 a.m. Friday, Oct. 17; 30th and Noe streets

A 1992 maroon, two-door Mustang was stolen from where it was parked near 30th and Noe streets on the night of Oct. 16. The car, which was locked and belongs to a 29th Street resident, bears the California license plate 3ADR097.

Burglary, Apartment House: Between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16; 200 block of Fair Oaks Street

A woman who lives in the 200 block of Fair Oaks Street returned home on the evening of Oct. 16 to find that someone had broken her bathroom window, entered her home, and stolen a stereo and some jewelry.

The 34-year-old woman told police that upon arriving home, she noticed that her back door was unlocked from the inside. She checked the bathroom, which is right next to the back door, and saw that the window was broken.

Stolen were a gold Chinese panda coin ring valued at $1,000; three gold bracelets valued at $100 apiece; a gold amulet in the design of a bow valued at $100; two gold and garnet rings and a gold and aquamarine ring whose value was yet to be determined; and a stereo valued at $200.

Petty Theft: 4:40 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18; 3900 block of 24th Street

A 41-year-old San Francisco woman was arrested and charged with stealing several items from Just for Fun and the Ark stores on 24th Street.

An employee of Just for Fun told police that on the afternoon of Oct. 18, he had been watching a particular female customer for about 20 minutes before she bought a small metal key chain and inquired about the store's return policy.

The woman set off the security alarm upon leaving the store and returned to the employee, who took her to the back of the store, where she was interviewed by a second employee.

The customer told the second employee that she did not have any merchandise from the store and opened her bag to show several items with price stickers on them from the Ark down the street.

The Ark was notified, and one of its employees responded to the store and recognized the woman as having been in the Ark about a half hour previously. She had not purchased anything.

The woman allegedly took a datebook and coin purse from Just for Fun, and various toys, rings, and a harmonica from the Ark. The total value of the merchandise was around $100. The woman at first said she would like to pay for the items she had taken, but could only offer $25.

A computer check revealed an outstanding warrant for her arrest.

Burglary, Apartment Building: Between 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, and 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21; 400 block of Elizabeth Street

Someone entered an apartment building in the 400 block of Elizabeth Street sometime overnight on Oct. 20 and stole a green Montague mountain bike valued at between $650 and $750. The word "paratrooper" is written on the bike in black letters.

The thief also made off with a bunch of keys that were underneath the bike seat. The owner told police that the front door to the apartment building does not always lock properly.

Burglary, Residence: Between 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, and 12:14 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25; 200 block of 29th Street

Someone broke into a home in the 200 block of 29th Street sometime after 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 24, stealing a Compaq Presario laptop computer valued at $1,500, a brown Ifshin violin valued at $1,200, a black violin case valued at $50, and a brown violin bow whose value was to be determined.

The woman who lives in the home told police that she wasn't sure if her rear sliding door was locked when she left her house around 9:30 p.m. She later received a phone call from an unspecified person saying that her house had been broken into, and so she returned home.

The woman told police that when she looked around her home, she found her back door unlocked. The front door, too, was unlocked, though she was sure she had locked it upon leaving.

Neighbors on either side of the residence did not see or hear anything unusual. Neither did people attending a party that was going on at that time in the residence above the woman's apartment.

Burglary, Residence: Between 1:30 and 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28; 4400 block of 25th Street

Around 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 28, a man claiming to be from the city water department rang the doorbell of a home in the 4400 block of 25th Street. The man, who showed no identification, told the 73-year-old woman who answered the door that he and a crew were working in the area and that he needed to come inside to check the faucets.

The woman let him in, and they both went into the kitchen, where he examined the faucet. He then told the woman that he needed to check the hoses in her back yard. Once outside, he began speaking into a radio, describing the yard.

The impostor told the woman that everything appeared to be in order, and she walked him back through her house and let him out the front door.

After the man left, the woman called the water department and was informed that no crews were working in the area. She then checked around the neighborhood, but saw no sign of the visitor.

The woman told police that she didn't realize anything was missing until she went looking for something that evening and found that $350 in cash was gone from her purse in the kitchen. Next, she checked her bedroom and discovered that $1,500 in cash had been stolen from the top drawer of her dresser. She also noticed that her jewelry had been disturbed, and six costume jewelry rings, valued at $1,600, were missing.

The woman postulated that the suspect had been working with another person or persons who entered the home while she was in the back yard.

The woman described the suspect as a man between 20 and 25 years old, about 5-foot-5 and weighing about 150 pounds. He had a medium complexion with brown eyes and black hair, was clean-shaven, and wore white tennis shoes.

Burglary, Residence: Between 1 and 2:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31; 3900 block of 25th Street

Someone broke into a home in the 3900 block of 25th Street on the afternoon of Halloween and stole a Nikon camera valued at $1,000 and camera accessories, also valued at $1,000.

The resident said he left his home around 1 p.m. that day and returned at about 2:15 p.m. After about 15 minutes back home, he noticed that the kitchen door at the rear of the house was broken and shattered glass was on the floor at the foot of the door.

The man told police that the front door had been locked.

After seeing the broken door, the man walked into a rear bedroom and noticed his camera and camera accessories were gone from the top of a chest. A desk drawer also was opened. Aside from that, nothing else in the house appeared to be disturbed.

The suspect apparently was seen by a next-door neighbor, who had been watching television in her living room around 2:15 p.m. when she saw a man jump the fence from next door and approach her rear sliding-glass door. The woman asked the man what he wanted, and he fled, so she called police.

The Voice thanks Mission Police Officer Lorraine Lombardo and Ingleside Police Officer Mike Smith for providing the incident reports for this month's Police Beat. The reports were summarized by Suzanne Herel.

Your Links to the SFPD

Noe Valley residents and merchants are invited to attend police-community meetings held monthly in the Mission and Ingleside police districts. The next meeting at Mission Station will be Tuesday, Dec. 30, 6 p.m., at 630 Valencia Street near 17th Street. The next Ingleside meeting will be Tuesday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m., at Ingleside Station, 1 Sgt. John Young Lane, off the 2000 block of San Jose Avenue.

Meanwhile, those who live or work north of Cesar Chavez Street can report recurring problems by phoning Mission Station at 558-5400 or e-mailing Captain Greg Corrales at gregory_corrales @ci.sf.ca.us. (To report anonymously on drugs, gangs, or other crimes, call the non-traceable hotline at 558-5452.)

Residents and merchants in "outer" Noe Valley--south of Cesar Chavez--can contact Ingleside Station by calling 404-4000 or e-mailing Captain Kevin Dillon at kevin_dillon@ci.sf.ca.us.

To report a crime in progress, call 911. (Cell phone users, dial 553-8090.) To talk to San Francisco police about a non-emergency situation, call 553-0123.