February 2008 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK

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 Dec. 2, 2007, to Jan. 11, 2008. "Noe Valley," in this instance, is the area bounded by Grand View, 20th, Guerrero, and Cesar Chavez streets. Next month's crime log also will include incidents south of Cesar Chavez to 30th Street.

Burglary: 4000 block of 26th Street, 12-2-07, 6:30 a.m.

A resident woke up to find that his garage had been burglarized. Missing were two iPods, a digital camera, a woman's purse, and a pair of prescription eyeglasses. The resident also found that someone had been inside the car parked in front of his house. He discovered the glove box inside the car had been pried open and an electric garage door-opener had been taken. The man told responding police that his family was sleeping upstairs above the garage but it did not appear that the suspect had attempted to enter the home. Officers processed the scene and took a report.

Robbery with Gun: 1200 block of Guerrero Street, 12-2-07, 7:03 p.m.

While straightening the clothes rack at a vintage clothing store at Guerrero and 24th streets, a clerk thought she heard someone standing behind her. As she turned to see who was there, she saw a man in a gray hooded sweatshirt pointing a gun at her. "Don't look at me," the robber ordered. "Give me everything." Fearing for her life, the woman went to the cash register and took $500 from the till, while the suspect continued to point the gun at her head. The suspect grabbed the cash and told the clerk to go to the back of the room. He then fled the store in an unknown direction. The clerk escaped out the back door and went to a neighboring house, where she called police. The suspect was described as a white male, 40 to 50 years old, 5'9, 160 pounds, with missing front teeth.

Trespassing: 1300 block of Castro Street, 12-7-07, 3:50 p.m.

A teenager walked into a drugstore at Castro and Jersey streets and grabbed a handful of candy bars. The young man then approached a customer and asked if he would pay for the candy bars. The customer declined and reported the incident to a clerk, who approached the teen and asked him to leave. "I didn't do anything," the young man complained. "Why I got to leave?" The clerk explained that he could not solicit customers and again asked the trespasser to leave, but the teen refused and stood in the middle of the doorway blocking the path of other customers. "I'm not leaving, and you can't make me." The clerk then called 911 and tried to take the suspect's photo with a store camera. The teen blocked the camera with his hand and left the store. He was last seen walking northbound on Castro toward 24th Street. Police responded and took a report for documentation.

Vandalism to Bus Shelter: 25th and Castro, 12-11-07, 6:09 p.m.

While patrolling the parking lot of James Lick Middle School, a campus control officer heard glass shattering. When he looked in the direction of the noise, he saw four teenagers--two girls and two boys, approximately 12 to 14 years old--running from a bus shelter. The campus officer saw that one of the shelter's glass panes was shattered and its shards of glass scattered on the sidewalk below. As the group ran, one of the vandals stopped, went back, picked up an object, and broke the other pane on the bus shelter. The young teen then caught up to the group, last seen running north on Castro toward 24th Street. Police responded to the area, notified the Department of Public Works for cleanup, and called Muni to report the damaged shelter.

Burglary: 4000 block of 24th Street, 12-13-07, 4:13 a.m.

Police responded to an audible alarm at an electronics store on 24th Street. When they arrived, they saw that the front gate had been slid open and the deadbolt to the front door unlocked. Officers conducted a walk-through of the store and observed that several pieces of merchandise had been knocked over and were lying on the floor. The back door was open and there were lights on in a storage room. The store manager arrived and observed that two LCD TVs, valued at over $700 each, were missing. Officers took photos of the scene and referred the case to CSI for follow-up. There are no known suspects.

Attempted Robbery: 24th and Church, 1-1-08, 1:38 a.m.

A man was standing on the corner when another man riding a bicycle approached him and said, "You think you're black with those gold teeth? Empty out your pockets." Fearing for his safety, the man punched the man riding the bicycle in the head and then started to run. The suspect gave chase on the bicycle, gaining ground on the victim as he rode behind. To escape, the man jumped a fence and ran through a residential back yard yelling that he was being chased. He then jumped a wall and climbed up on to a deck and entered the back of a house. The owner of the house started to scream seeing a strange man enter her house. Seeing the commotion, a neighbor responded and tackled the man, holding him down until police arrived. Officers took the man to Mission Station, where they sorted out the facts and released him without charge. Officers filed an attempted robbery report on behalf of the man and issued him a case number.

Auto Burglary: 22nd and Dolores, 1-1-08, 6 p.m.

After parking his truck overnight on the corner of 22nd and Dolores, a man returned the next day to discover that the driver-side door lock had been jimmied and several items had been taken from inside the cab. Taken during the auto break-in was the man's shoulder bag, which contained his Air Force identification card; two pairs of sunglasses; and various construction tools. Also taken was a laptop belonging to the U.S. Air Force. The man called the police, filed a report, and notified his command of the break-in. There are no known suspects.

Reported Burglary, 900 block of Church Street, 1-2-08, 11:24 a.m.

A couple who were away on vacation had a friend watch their house for them while they were away. The friend came over one morning and discovered that a chunk of wood had been chipped off a windowsill, causing her to suspect that someone had stepped on the windowsill and broken it with their weight. The friend checked the rest of the house and found nothing amiss. She called police and filed a report, and also advised the neighbors to be on the lookout.

Stolen Auto: 4000 block of 25th Street, 1-6-08, 6:50 p.m.

A woman reported to police that she walked out of the door of her house and saw a man driving away in her green Honda Civic. The woman described the suspect as a short white male wearing a blue baseball cap. Officers filed a report and advised the woman to contact her insurance company.

Robbery, 27th and Dolores, 1-11-08, 7 p.m.

A woman walking on Dolores Street with her shoulder purse strapped around her arm, noticed that a gray four-door sedan was following slowly behind her. Suddenly, a man jumped out of the vehicle, ran up behind her, and grabbed her shoulder bag, knocking her to the ground. The woman fought back, but feared that the culprit might have a weapon and let go of the bag. The robber grabbed the bag, which contained a cell phone, a pair of gloves, various credit cards and identification, but no cash. He then got back into the car, driven by another man, and sped off northbound on Dolores. The woman, who was unhurt during the attack, walked to Mission Station and reported the incident.

Patrol Special Officer Jane Warner walks a regular beat in Noe Valley. You can reach her by sending an email to sfpatrol@earthlink.net or calling 559-9955.

The SFPD Divides Noe in Half

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.