Capt. Richard Corriea: Police Beat

Catalytic converter thefts
In the past few months we have received more than a dozen reports of catalytic converters being stolen from vehicles parked in the Richmond District. Thieves go after catalytic converters because they contain expensive precious metals, like platinum, palladium and rhodium. They target vehicles that have high ground clearances so they can crawl under it with ease. The most common vehicle targeted in the Richmond is the Toyota 4Runner, although other similar vehicles are at risk as well.

These thefts are occurring during the early morning hours when thieves can crawl under vehicles and cut loose or un-bolt converters with less worry about being seen. This crime makes very little noise and can be committed quickly.

Vehicles cannot be operated with a compromised exhaust line. Repairs are expensive and can cost as much as $4,000, depending on the amount of damage done to the exhaust system. If you own a Toyota 4Runner or other small truck, please keep this crime trend in mind when choosing a location to park your vehicle overnight. Catalytic converters don't usually have serial numbers so if police locate a suspect in possession of one it is difficult to determine its rightful owner.

The next time you take your vehicle in for service talk to your mechanic about etching your vehicle's identification number or your license number on your catalytic converter.

Residential burglaries
Between March 2 and March 21, we had eight day-time residential burglaries in the district, which occurred along the Balboa Street corridor between 12th and 40th avenues.

The burglaries share a common modus operandi. In three cases young Asian males, variously described as being between 17 and 22 years of age, were observed in the criminal acts. In two cases there were three suspects and in one case there were two suspects. The point of entry in seven of the cases was through the front door after forcing open an iron gate at the street entrance of the residence. There have been four similar burglaries in the Taraval District within the same time frame as ours, and young Asian males have been implicated in three of those burglaries.

Please stay vigilant for people acting suspicious in your neighborhood and call 911 if you think a crime may be in progress or that the individual(s) may have a criminal intent. Please provide the police dispatcher a license plate number and a good description of the subjects. Also, if you have an iron gate at the front of your home it may be a good time to have it inspected to make sure that it is functioning properly and the mechanism is in good shape.

Pedestrian fatality
On March 14, Ms. Aurora G. Venida was crossing Geary Boulevard at Arguello. She was just four feet from the northwest corner when she was struck by a car making a right turn from Arguello onto westbound Geary.

Ms. Venida was transported to San Francisco General Hospital by ambulance for emergency treatment, but she died on March 16.

Please use extra caution when driving on Geary between Arguello and Collins Street as the there is significant foot traffic from near-by schools and senior facilities. The speed limit is 25 miles-per-hour and there are several intersections that do not have stop lights. Keep your eyes on the road and yield for pedestrians.

National Take Back Program
On Saturday, April 30, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Richmond Station began participation in the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Take Back Program. A receptacle has been set up in the lobby at the station for you to deposit unwanted prescription medications for environmentally friendly destruction.

Please drop off any outdated or unneeded prescriptions that you may have at home. We offer this service to help you lower the risk that old prescriptions present to members of your household and to assure medications are disposed of in a way that is not harmful to the environment.

Richmond Station now on Twitter
The station is tweeting loudly! We started in early March and by the last week of the month we had 300 followers. We are Tweeting crime reports and traffic advisories so folks are aware of the risks they face and to encourage action to mitigate those risks. Please follow us at Richmond_SFPD to receive real-time public safety information.

Our next Police Community Forum is on April 19, at 7 p.m., at the Richmond Station.

As well, the Richmond Station distributes an e-mail newsletter every Friday, which is sent to several hundred e-mail addresses, and contains information about recent crimes, arrests and upcoming events in the district. To be added to this list, please e-mail us at sfpd.richmondstation@sfgov.org.

Capt. Richard Corriea is the commanding officer at the Richmond Station.