Noe Valley Voice April 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 Feb. 16 to March 15, 2008. "Noe Valley," in this instance, is the area bounded by Grand View, 20th, Guerrero, and Cesar Chavez streets.

Theft from Vehicle: March 3, 10:40 a.m, Castro and Clipper

A man parked his car on the corner of Clipper and Castro and went to do some shopping. When he returned, he saw that the paint on his car had been scraped with a sharp object. A line went from the front of the car to the rear, and the letter "N" had been carved above the door lock. The door lock also had been punched, and the contents of the car had been rummaged through. The man discovered that a cell phone, the car's registration, and several CDs and school books had been taken. There are no known suspects.

Found Property: March 6, 4:32 p.m, unit block of Alvarado

While walking down the street, a man discovered two suspicious bags near a telephone pole and called police. When officers arrived, they looked inside the bags and found a PlayStation game, various clothing and personal papers, a pair of sunglasses, and a California driver's license. The officers gave the citizen a property receipt and ran the name on the driver's license, but nothing came up reported stolen. Officers confiscated the two bags and took them to Mission Station for safekeeping.

Burglary: March 6, 1:55 a.m. (reported), 3900 block of 24th

Police responded to an art supply store on 24th Street in response to an audible alarm. Upon arrival, officers discovered the store's front door open and the glass on the door shattered. The officers conducted a walk-through of the premises and found the cash register had been pried open. The owner of the store arrived and surveyed the scene, but told officers that nothing else appeared damaged nor was anything taken. Officers later contacted CSI to process for prints. There are no known suspects.

Driver w/o License: March 6, 10:55 a.m., 25th at Castro

An officer on routine patrol heard loud music blaring from a green Honda traveling more than a block away. The officer pulled the small sedan over for a noise infraction and a broken taillight. "Can I see your license?" the officer asked. The driver handed the officer a Washington state driver's license and told the officer he had been in California only for three days. The officer thought this was suspicious, however, since the car's registration was listed in the driver's name with a Daly City address. The man was cited for driving without a valid in-state license, excessively loud sound equipment, and a broken tail lamp. His vehicle was subsequently towed to Auto Return.

Aggravated Assault: March 7, 6:45 a.m., 25th and Vicksburg

While doing construction work on Vicksburg, a man was suddenly approached by a stranger holding a wooden cane in one hand and a newspaper in the other. The stranger mumbled something at the handyman and then, completely unprovoked, lifted the cane above his head and swung it from left to right in an attempt to hit him. Shocked, the worker ducked the blows. Without saying anything, the suspect kept walking south on Vicksburg. The stunned construction worker called police on his cell phone, and a short time later officers arrived. As the victim gave his description of the suspect, Noe Valley beat officer Calvin Chow recognized the man, and a computer check revealed that the suspect had a court date set for later that morning at 850 Bryant. Officer Chow responded to the Hall of Justice and found the suspect in the courtroom awaiting his court case. The suspect was cited for the attempted assault and given another court date to appear.

Malicious Mischief to Vehicles: March 7, 10:22 a.m. (reported), 4100 block of 24th and 400 block of Jersey

A man reported to police that his car had been broken into while parked in front of his house overnight. The man reported the passenger-side window had been shattered and that his iPod and GPS system were missing from the glove box. Later that morning, officers received another report concerning a car break-in on the 400 block of Jersey. The victim reported that sometime during the night someone had smashed the wing window of her car and rummaged through the contents of her vehicle; however, nothing had been taken. The next day, Officer Lorraine Lombardo, on routine patrol, responded to a report of another car break-in, also on the 400 block of Jersey. The vehicle's window had been smashed and a computer bag taken from the rear seat. There are no known suspects. However, Lombardo confiscated two screwdrivers left at the scene and submitted them into evidence.

Burglary: March 10, 3:07 a.m., 1300 block of Castro

A janitor for a building on Castro Street heard a bang and went outside to find out what caused it. He saw a suspicious man pacing on the corner of Castro and 24th, and then noticed that the door to a local pottery store appeared open. When the janitor went to investigate, he saw a man standing inside the store. The janitor told the man to leave. "All right," said the suspect and walked out the door and headed north on Castro. The janitor called police, who called the owner. Upon arriving, the owner conducted a walk-through and reported that her laptop was missing.

Theft from Merchant: March 10, 4 p.m., 3900 block of 24th

Three teenagers came into a popular gift store on 24th Street and wandered around. After a while, the three ran out, sounding off the security sensor. The clerk followed the kids and found them inside a coffee shop two doors down the street. The clerk brought the kids back to the store and made them walk back through the security sensor again. Two of the teens did not set off the alarm, but the third did. The teen pulled out a book from his jacket and handed it over. The employee called 911. Officers arrived and took the juvenile to Mission Station, where he was cited and released to his parents.

Burglary: March 13, 2:40 a.m., 3900 block of 24th

Police responded to an audible alarm and found the side window of a corner store shattered and open. Officers entered the premises but found no one inside. A printer and chair were found knocked over in a small office area in the back of the store. The manager of the store arrived and told officers that the safe was missing. Officers contacted crime scene investigators to respond and dust for fingerprints. There are no known suspects.

Burglary: March 14, 2:22 a.m., 4000 block of 24th

Officers arrived at a 24th Street restaurant after receiving information about an alarm sounding. When they arrived, they found the front door closed but unlocked. Officers searched the restaurant and found no one inside. However, the office door was forced open and the room had been rummaged through. Papers were strewn about the floor, drawers were left open, and a locked wine cooler had suffered several large dents. An employee of the eatery arrived and told officers that despite the damage, nothing seemed to be missing. Officers determined that a tradesman door was the likely point of entry.

Aggravated Assault w/ Force: March 15, 1:49 a.m., 4000 block of 24th

Police responded to a large brawl in front of a bar on 24th Street. When they arrived, they saw about 10 adults fighting in the middle of the street. An officer observed one of the brawlers kick another in the head. The officer wrestled the assailant to the ground and placed him in handcuffs. Officers quickly got the fray under control and determined that five people were injured. However, none of the victims wanted medical attention; nor were they willing to press charges. All had been drinking. One woman, who had set her purse down on the sidewalk, noticed it was missing. She reported to officers that her missing shoulder bag contained her Ireland passport, $2,000 in cash, and miscellaneous identification. Officers searched the area but could not find the bag. The crowd was dispersed, and the 23-year-old suspect who had been observed kicking was taken to Mission Station and booked for aggravated assault.

Officer Jane Warner is a member of the San Francisco Patrol Special Police. You can reach her by e-mailing sfpatrol@earthlink.net or calling 559-9955.

Report from Ingleside Station

In the past few issues of the Noe Valley Voice, something has been missing from our crime log: incidents from the part of Noe Valley that falls within the Ingleside Police District. That's because a change of command took place at Ingleside Police Station last fall, and Ingleside's new police captain, 26-year SFPD veteran Denis O'Leary, has been busy responding to requests for services and information. This month, however, Capt. O'Leary has personally submitted a crime log for the Upper Noe Valley neighborhood. Upper Noe Valley, in this instance, is the area south of Cesar Chavez Street, west of Guerrero/San Jose Avenue, north of 30th Street, and east of Diamond Heights Boulevard.

The incidents he lists below took place from Feb. 15 to March 14, 2008, and may not include all reports filed during that period.

If you would like to receive Capt. O'Leary's weekly e-mail newsletter, send an e-mail to InglesideStationNewsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. You may also view updates online at www.sfgov.org.

In addition, you are welcome to attend the Ingleside Police District's monthly community meeting, held on the third Tuesday, 7 p.m., at Ingleside Station, 1 Sgt. John V. Young Lane, located off Balboa Park at San Jose Avenue. The station's number is 415-404-4000.

UPPER NOE VALLEY INCIDENTS

Capt. Denis O'Leary's Incident Report for Feb. 15 to March 14, 2008

Feb. 15, 5 a.m., Unit block of Day: A resident woke to find an acquaintance pounding on his front door. The acquaintance assaulted the resident. The suspect fled and the resident found him at San Jose Avenue and Day Street, where the victim was assaulted again. The suspect had fled when police arrived.

Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m., 1500 block of Dolores: A juvenile reported that she received threats on her cell phone's voicemail. She did not know who the suspect was.

Feb. 24, 12:15 p.m., 27th and Dolores: A woman parked her car on the 19th and upon her return five days later found another person's wallet inside her locked car. She did not know who left the wallet in the car. Officer Eric Hibler attempted to contact the wallet's owner, a resident of the 1300 block of Dolores Street, to no avail. The wallet and its contents were booked as evidence at Ingleside Station.

Feb. 24, 5 p.m., 100 block of Day: At 4 p.m. on Feb. 25, Officer Leonard Morrow responded to the 700 block of San Jose Avenue on the call of abandoned property. He found a brand-new bicycle carefully hidden in some shrubs. Officer Morrow found a store sticker on the bike and called the store, Valencia Cyclery. They contacted the bike's new owner, a resident of the 100 block of Day Street. She met with Officer Anthony Orge that evening and reported that she had last seen her bike on Feb. 24. There were no signs of forced entry.

Feb. 26, 11 p.m., 300 block of 29th: A 91-year-old resident reported that her condominium's storage locker had its lock cut off and its contents removed. She did not know what had been taken, as her grandson used the locker and he was unavailable for the report. An additional loss report form was left for the grandson.

Feb. 25 or 26, 10:50 a.m., 300 block of 29th: A resident reported to police that he had received an e-mail from his apartment building's manager advising him that his storage locker had been broken into. The thief had cut the chainlink fence surrounding the locker and had removed the victim's bicycle. The report was filed March 6.

Feb. 29, 6 p.m., 500 block of 29th: Victim reported tax files and other paperwork taken from unlocked drawer inside home. No sign of forced entry. Report filed March 3.

March 7, 2:34 a.m., 1300 block of Dolores: A resident saw a man tampering with the lock to a parked truck and then saw the man inside the truck with a flashlight on. Officer Brandon Smith arrived, and the burglar, a 36-year-old Mission District man, ran from him. The thief surrendered without incident. The truck's owner was found, and he reported that he had locked his truck when he parked it. The burglar was booked at Ingleside Station.

March 10, 11:48 a.m., 1400 block of Guerrero: An apartment resident heard pounding outside and saw a man kicking in the back door of another apartment. The witness saw the burglar carry items away from the building. The witness followed the perpetrator but lost sight of the man in the area of St. Luke's Hospital. Officers from Ingleside Station searched the neighborhood for the suspect to no avail. Two apartments had been broken into.

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 contact Mission Police, call 558-5400 or e-mail SFPDMissionStation@ci.sf.ca.us. To contact Ingleside, call 404-4000 or e-mail SFPDInglesideStation@ci.sf.ca.us. To report a crime in progress, call 911. For non-emergencies or to make a report, call 553-0123.