Capt. Edgar Springer: Police Beat

Within the next few weeks the holidays will be upon us. For many, this will be difficult considering the tragedies and fears of the past month and a half.

We need to approach the holidays in the manner in which they were meant to be approached. With Thanksgiving being the first holiday, we need to focus on the positive - not the negative. We need to reflect on the things that we should be thankful for.

The businesses in this city and the nation are open for business. This holiday season, as in the past, we will be enhancing our patrols in commercial areas of the Richmond District.

Our Safe Shoppers Holiday Program will begin on Thanksgiving and continue through the New Year's festivities. We will have extra foot patrols on Clement Street, Geary Boulevard and in the Laurel Heights area. This program will also be enhanced by a greater uniformed police presence on the Muni system.

You can make your own holiday safer by:

· parking your car in a well-lit area;

· keeping purchases out of sight in the trunk of your vehicle;

· be aware of your surroundings while shopping and going to and from your vehicle;

· shop with a friend;

· be aware of your surroundings when using an ATM machine;

· refuse solicitations from charity groups you are not familiar with.

I hope to see you at the next Community/Police Forum, which will be held a different time and date this month. The November forum will be held at the Richmond Police Station's Community Meeting Room, 461 Sixth Ave., on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. Youth issues will be the topic of discussion and there is free parking at the Kaiser Hospital garage across the street from the station. I hope to see you at the forum.

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