Capt. Michael Yalon: Police Beat

Local Ramifications

On Sept. 11, our country lost nearly 7,000 innocent souls to terrorist bombings in New York, Washington D.C. and rural Pennsylvania. Although the actual attacks took place thousands of miles away, the city of Saint Francis shared directly in both the loss and the consequences. Please keep the following in mind as the U.S. response unfolds:

· Emergency services are up and running and will be here to serve you, no matter what. Equipment is being stockpiled and agency heads meet daily to explore alternatives. The SFPD, for example, is preparing to double its coverage with 12-hour shifts and cancelled leaves.

· Expect potentially large "anti-war" demonstrations. Traditionally, SF has hosted protesters from the Bay Area and beyond. Marches and rallies have started already and will likely redouble when military action begins. Our job will be to safeguard the demonstrators' uniquely American First Amendment rights while being vigilant for signs of violence desired by a small minority among the crowd.

The larger the event, the more officers will be pulled from neighborhood patrol. But here in the Taraval, we pledge to keep our core beats covered at all times.

· Prepare yourselves, your families and your homes for a possible emergency. Sabotage or terrorism could be aimed at chokepoints in transportation, the power grid or even water systems. Safety preparations are simple and inexpensive. (Many of you may still have everything you need left over from Y2K.)

We suggest that you stock up on such things as bottled water, canned food, working flashlights and a battery-operated radio with extra batteries. A family emergency plan should cover where family members are to meet and how they are going to communicate if telephone lines are down.

While enemy action is not likely, it's only prudent to be prepared. Besides, all these items and plans are equally useful in an earthquake or other natural disaster.

One Hour Developing

An alert technician at an East Bay photo lab recently viewed a 44-year-old Sunset man's favorite "pet" snapshots. Unlike most dog owner's Brownie prints, these photos unmistakably depicted the man and his canine engaged in sexual relations.

Several phone calls later, the prints, negatives and man's name and address made their way to investigators at SF Animal Care and Control. A search warrant was obtained and a law enforcement contingent met at the man's 47th Avenue home.

Upon entry, officers uncovered suspected illegal drugs and 12 boxes of pornographic pictures, tapes and books - showing similar acts with both animals and young children. When questioned by police inspectors, the suspect readily admitted his perverse habits and proudly described how he made a living. Right there in his home he ran a small manufacturing plant, making "marital aids."

The now-penitent photographer was charged with the rarely used crime of "bestiality" along with drug and child porn offenses. For arresting officers David Southern and Ricardo Lopez, this was their first case at Taraval - and one so bizarre they will likely never forget it.

As for the suspect, he will never again assault another two-legged or four-legged animal or sell his unique "wares" to another mail or net customer. Early one morning sheriff's deputies found him hanging in his cell at 850 Bryant St. All information points to suicide - apparently an ending more appealing to him than public court appearances.

Bird in Hand

Yet another animal crime was reported by staff at the Lenox Branch Library. This complaint involved a pigeon and a 60-year-old Sunset man who had been calmly plucking the live bird while a group of youngsters watched. Officers found the man inside the edifice in front of a computer screen.

"Can we see the pigeon?" the officers asked.

"It's out in my car," the bird fancier responded.

"OK," replied officers. "Let's go out to the car."

Caught in a lie, the suspect opened his jacket and pulled out the still-breathing bird - trussed with fishing line and struggling meekly in silence. Cops deal with "concealed weapons" all the time, but none of us have a experienced a "concealed pigeon" before.

Animal cruelty was the charge and the avian torturer went to jail while the bird ended up at an animal hospital.

Shot Fired

As these odd cases illustrate, September proved an unusual month in our district. No less out of the ordinary were the following two loaded-gun seizures.

At 7 p.m. on the 11th, officers responded to a shooting on 18th Avenue near Santiago Street. They stopped a man fitting the suspect's description as he walked away. His home address matched the crime scene and witnesses confirmed his involvement.

The victim told how he had argued with the man-in-custody over the sale of a car. After a pushing match, the suspect produced a 9mm pistol and pointed it at his adversary's head.

"Go ahead, go ahead," challenged the victim. Luckily, the gunman fired into the air.

Officers recovered another firearm and ammunition at the suspect's home. Neighbors said arguments like this one had become daily occurrences. At least now the 50-year-old gunman will have to conduct his heated discussions without the backup of a loaded Beretta pistol.

Then, on the morning of Sept. 17, officers Barry Parker and Juan Gala observed a white Mustang on Sunset Boulevard with expired registration tabs. The sticker was only two months out of date, so the cops ran a computer check while deciding whether or not to make a traffic stop. Records quickly showed that this car hadn't been registered in three years. The July 2001 sticker obviously belonged to some other vehicle.

"I know. I know," the young driver responded when pulled over. "My friend put the sticker on and I just haven't gotten around to taking care of it."

Such guilty knowledge is required for a fraudulent registration charge, so the driver was detained and officers prepared to tow his car. Inside, they found another Beretta 9mm pistol and 500 rounds of ammunition. On the suspect's person, they found suspected crystal methamphetamine and a photo showing guns, dope and lots of money. Swearing "that's all I've got," the suspect signed a form consenting to a search of his residence.

Under the direction of Sgt. Rick Galande, the gendarmes drove to the suspect's home and discovered a Chinese assault rifle, .44 magnum pistol and about 1,000 rounds of ammunition. They also located more than 100 nicely packaged doses of "ecstasy" and methamphetamine, along with nearly $5,000 and instructions to manufacture even more illegal drugs.

Taken together, the guns, drugs, currency and packaging all lead to a reasonable suspicion that this man has been supplying popular designer drugs to the late-night club crowd.

I'll bet he really wishes now that he had spent the paltry sum required to register his Mustang!

Police Community Relations Forum

The October forum is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. at the Taraval Police Station. Our timely guest speaker will be Mr. Ron Wilson, spokesperson for the SF International Airport. Please join us if you can.