Capt. Sandra Tong: Police Beat

National Night Out
Greetings to all! I hope that everyone is having a safe and enjoyable summer. By the time the column is published, Richmond Station will have hosted the fifth annual National Night Out event on Aug. 1.

National Night Out is a gathering of the community and neighborhood groups to focus on community safety. The concept of National Night Out is similar to our community policing philosophy. The police department builds partnerships with the community and neighborhood groups to address specific crime(s) or quality-of-life issues.

As a team, we work together to problem solve and implement solutions to the identified issues. Although National Night Out has passed, please remember that I am available to partner with any neighborhood to address your concerns. As a team, police officers and the community can make a positive impact in the neighborhood.

Traffic safety and enforcement continues to be a community concern each day in our district. The Traffic Company and officers at Richmond Station continue to make traffic enforcement a priority. In the spirit of traffic safety, our July 11 community meeting addressed "bicycle safety."

Our guest speakers, Andy Thornley, a member of the SF Bicycle Coalition, and Bert Hill, a member of the SF Bicycle Advisory Committee, provided an informative overview regarding bicycle safety. Our community group will continue to focus on bicycle safety issues.

We will work with both organizations to development a bicycle safety education campaign.

In the near future, Richmond Station will be organizing special operations to cite bicycles, skateboards and other similar vehicles for riding on the sidewalk. This is a violation pursuant to 100 TC (traffic code). Please remember that riding a bicycle or skateboard on the sidewalk is not only illegal, but extremely dangerous to pedestrians.

There are numerous bicycle lanes in the district that can be used to ensure safe travel, such as on Lake Street, Arguello Boulevard and Cabrillo Street. Please practice good traffic safety, whether you're a motorist, pedestrian or bicyclist!

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