Capt. Edgar Springer: Police Beat

At many of the meetings that I attend the primary topic is pedestrian safety. The focus tends to be on motorists that fail to yield to pedestrians. This is only one of the safety issues. There are generally multiple factors.

This is clearly exhibited by the most recent tragedy in our district, which occurred at the intersection of 25th Avenue and Balboa Street on Thursday, March 22, at 2:50 p.m., in which two pedestrians were struck by a motorist. This was a situation in which the operator of the vehicle went from the eastbound lanes of traffic, crossed over into the westbound lanes on the wrong side of the roadway and struck a 75-year-old man and his 10-year-old grandson, who were attempting to cross, in the crosswalk, with a green light.

The operator of the vehicle, after striking the pedestrians, running a red light and striking a vehicle, was ultimately arrested for suspicion of operation a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, violating a pedestrian right-of-way and running a red light.

The officers at the Richmond Police Station will continue to address all vehicle code violations. We wrote more than 7,297 citations for moving violations in the year 2000 and have written 1,234 this year to date.

We have also targeted DUI drivers since June 2000. We have one officer assigned to our night watch who has made more than 20 DUI arrests in this time period. We feel the best approach to address traffic safety for pedestrians and motorists is to take an all-encompassing approach to enforcement. This focus is on the primary hazards to safety: red light running, speeding, stop sign and DUI violations.

Captain Richard Hom of the traffic bureau has been of great assistance to us in the Richmond District. He assists us by assigning motorcycle officers to specific locations that we need help in enforcement.

Our radar trailer has arrived and is being shared with the Taraval Police Station. We will be placing it at various locations throughout the district.

Enforcement is only one component to address our traffic safety concerns. The other component is education.

How knowledgeable are each of us about the different speed limits in the district?

The basic speed is 25 miles per hour, unless otherwise noted. The speed on Geary Boulevard, from Wood Street to Ocean Beach, is 25 m.p.h. The allowable speed on Fulton Street is 35 m.p.h. except in the area around 37th Avenue, where it is 30 m.p.h. because of the nearby senior center.

Driver inattention is also a major concern. The California Highway Patrol has modified its collision report form to now expand the category of "driver inattention" distractions to include cell phones, electronic equipment, radio/CD, eating, children, animals, personal hygiene and reading.

All these distractions should be sending a message. We are not concentrating on our primary objective when behind the wheel ­ safely driving the vehicle.

St. Patrick's Day Events
St. Patrick's Day celebrations went well in the district. There was a large turnout this year because the holiday was on a Saturday and there was great weather.

All of the participants generally behaved themselves and there were only several arrests for disorderly conduct and public inebriation.

There was also a good turnout at the March Community Police Forum. The feature presentation by Golden Gate Disposal included a briefing concerning new services, new containers and potential rate increases. Supervisor Jake McGoldrick was also in attendance.

I am looking forward to seeing you at the next Community Police Forum (seismic upgrades and NERT) will be held at the Richmond Police Station, 461 Sixth Ave., on Tuesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. Free parking is available at the Kaiser Hospital parking lot.

Capt. Edgar Springer is the commanding officer at the Richmond Police Station.