Capt. Sandra Tong: Police Beat

On Wednesday, April 23, the SF Police Commission met at the Richmond Police Station.

During the meeting, several people were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the community. They were:

Laura Rothman, a 10 year old whose alert observations, identification and actions were responsible for the arrest of a suspect charged with malicious mischief for vandalizing seven vehicles;

Terry Venegas, who detained a hot prowl suspect who had broken into his home until Richmond Station officers arrived at the scene;

Nick Buick, whose observation and actions were responsible for the arrest of a burglary suspect who was hitting churches in the neighborhood;

Patsy Lau, who was recognized for her many continuing years volunteering at the Richmond Station.

New Traffic Signal Coming
Numerous officers at the Richmond Station observed a problem with "stop sign runners" at the intersection of California Street and Fourth Avenue. Motorists ignore the arterial stop sign, resulting in several accidents.

Officer John Ruggeiro conducted his own traffic surveys at the intersection for 60 days. Even with high police visibility and citation enforcement, the problem continued. Ruggeiro wrote a memorandum to the SF Department of Traffic and Parking with his assessment and urging the installation of a traffic light. Thanks to him, a traffic light was approved for the intersection.

On Geary Boulevard
Officers Mark Brandenburg, Peter Ionin, Manuel Solano, Rose Castro and Steve Mooney were dispatched to a bank on Geary Boulevard regarding a fraud in progress. The bank teller said she was working at the merchant window when the suspect approached and gave her a deposit slip and two checks to deposit. One check was for $130 and the other was for $2,000.

The deposit slip was filled out except for the complete account number. The suspect could not give the teller the complete account number so the teller alertly conducted a further investigation. The teller discovered the account was flagged with "I.D. stolen" tag and the picture on the driver's license did not match the suspect.

The suspect was booked for an outstanding warrant and attempted grand theft, forgery and possession of stolen property.

Foiled Fifth Avenue Burglary
Officers John Crudo, Leeanne Huang, Justin Erb, Duane Elzey, Ken Marucco, Kevin Lundy, Charles Tanaka, Alvaro Schor, Todd Brothers, Alpha Ng, Justin Madden and Darla McBride, along with sergeants Rowland Wing and Peter Dacre, responded at about midnight to a call of a person breaking into a residence.

On a perimeter check a broken windowpane was discovered in the garage with glass shards strewn across the interior sill. Officers Lundy, Marucco, Huang and Crudo checked the building's interior for intruders. A witness heard a lot of unusual noises outside and "peeked" out of a window. She saw a man in dark clothing in her backyard standing on a milk carton while trying to pry open a window. He called police.

Officers Huang and Crudo were on the balcony of the witness' residence when they noticed the arm of the suspect visible in the backyard next door. He was hiding among weeds, tall grass and plants. After detaining the suspect, officers discovered he was bleeding from several small cuts on his left hand. An open alleyway gate appeared to be the point of entry to the premises.

At the station it was learned that the suspect had numerous prior arrests and convictions, including for burglary and burglary-related charges, and was currently on probation.

"I'm not saying anything except that I was just sleeping," the suspect claimed.

He was booked on attempted burglary charges.

Graffiti Suspect Arrested
While on patrol in the early morning hours, officers Alvaro Schor and Charles Tanaka saw a wanted suspect waiting for a Muni bus. The officers had had prior contact with the suspect and a computer check turned up an outstanding warrant for the man's arrest for malicious mischief graffiti.

The suspect was transported to Richmond Station, where he was booked on the warrant.

Please note that the next Community/Police Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, at 7 p.m. The topic will be pedestrian safety and there will be an update on the new "counting down" crossing lights and a representative of Walk SF will speak. I hope to see you there.

Capt. Sandra Tong is the commanding officer at the Richmond Police Station.