On Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 6 p.m., members of the Richmond
District community will have an opportunity to meet the
new Police Commission.
Commission President Louise Renne, Vice President Gayle
Orr-Smith and commissioners Joe Veronese, Douglass Chan,
Theresa Sparks, Peter Keane and Dr. Joe Marshall will join
SF Police Department Chief Heather Fong and members of her
command staff at the Richmond Recreation Center, located
at 251 18th Ave., between Clement and California streets.
I will give a brief introduction and then the public will
have an opportunity to present questions and concerns to
the police commission. This meeting will replace the regularly
scheduled Tuesday police/community forum meeting.
Con Artist Scams
The coming of autumn ushers in the start of the holiday
season. Theft crimes tend to peak at this time of the year
as the need for extra cash becomes greater.
No one wants to be fraudulently cheated out of money or
property by a con artist. Unfortunately, many people continue
to become victims of these creative scams because of three
simple words: greed, gullibility and goodness.
Greed: The victim sees an opportunity to make "quick
cash" without work, research or effort. Every "con
game" has to begin with a conversation.
Gullibility: Victims are ready to believe what someone
is telling them if they have an opportunity to "cash
in" on something. Sometimes con artists will prey upon
cultural superstitions.
Goodness: Victims believe that people are generally honest.
This is a biggy because most people do not want to be perceived
as untrusting, and this allows the con artist to present
their scam. If they weren't good at deceiving people, they
wouldn't be successful.
There are a few things to keep in mind, which can help
prevent you from becoming a victim of a con game:
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is;
• Don't be fooled by an offer of something for nothing;
• Con artists present themselves well. They are usually
well groomed and articulate. If they weren't, they wouldn't
be successful;
• Con artists will avail themselves of issues reported
by the media, such as storms, fires, etc.;
• Con artists rely on victims to be careless and
trusting. Protect yourself by paying attention to details;
• Always check identities and employment before answering
any questions about your financial situation. One way to
do this is by hanging up and calling the financial institution
in question. Don't be passive.
Outstanding Arrest
On Sept. 20, at approximately 1:15 a.m., a 16-year-old
male was home alone when he was surprised by a hot prowl
burglar standing on the scaffolding outside of his second-floor
apartment window. The window was shut, but not locked, and
the suspect was able to open it and climb inside.
The victim telephoned 9-1-1 and then fled to a neighbor's
house. When Richmond officers Kathryn Waaland and Bernadette
Robinson showed up, they saw the suspect leaving the building
with stolen property. The officers detained the suspect
and the victim identified him as the perpetrator.
This outstanding arrest by Richmond District officers is
important for two reasons: It reveals how important it is
to notify police quickly when an incident occurs so we can
respond accordingly and it illustrates the importance of
not taking your safety for granted. If you close windows,
lock them. If you want to leave a window open, install window
stops so they can only be opened a few inches.
Currently, we are writing a weekly newsletter updating
the community about crime trends, wanted persons or vehicles
and other miscellaneous police and public-safety-related
issues. For more information, send an e-mail to: SFPDRichmondStation@ci.sf.ca.us.
For those interested in receiving the newsletter, but do
not have an e-mail address, copies will be available in
the lobby of the Richmond Station.
Capt. Sandra Tong is the commanding officer at the Richmond
Police Station.
