Capt. Sandra Tong: Police Beat

Happy New Year to all our readers. I hope all of you had a safe and memorable holiday season.

There was a good turnout for the December community meeting. Thanks to everyone who brought an ornament for the tree or a treat for the group. Let's try to keep up the goodwill throughout the coming year.

Commencing with the Jan. 20, 2004 meeting, Tim Himes (Safety Network Richmond District Community Organizer) has requested trying new venues for the monthly meetings. It is our combined hope that a roving community meeting will encourage greater participation from the members of the Richmond District community. The meeting on Jan. 20 will be held at Saint James Episcopal Church, located at 4620 California St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, at 7 p.m. The meeting will focus on sharing information and concerns gathered from surveys conducted with neighborhood residents and police officers who regularly patrol this sector. Look for the mailer we'll be sending out in early January.

New Stoplight

A new stoplight has been installed and is functioning at 12th Avenue and California St. On Dec. 11, several prominent members of the community, including district Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, Monsignor Arcamo from Star of the Sea Church, who gave a blessing, and the principal and students of Sutro Elementary School gathered at 11th and California to inaugurate the new traffic signal. Lt. Miriam Pengel, Sgt. Leslie Forrestal and officer Steve Mooney from the Richmond Station were on hand to ensure the safety of all during the ceremony.

The new stoplight is the culmination of efforts from many members of the community and several city agencies to satisfy a need for better traffic controls at that intersection. It took time and effort from a lot of caring people, but the end result is rewarding.

Bike Officer

Officer Eddie Chow has been the Clement Street beat officer now for nine-and-a-half years. Chow is a dedicated "community policing" officer who has been in the department for 25 years and has served in a variety of roles, including the Asian Gang Task Force and Juvenile Division.

The Clement Street beat is by far Chow's favorite assignment. He rides his bike on the beat rain or shine because it allows him to be more accessible to the community.

Chow believes he is better able to serve the members of the Clement Street community through close interaction, which builds trust and openness between the community and the police department.

Chow, who is able to speak, read and write Chinese, is another one of the Richmond Station's valuable resources.

Burglary Suspect Arrested

Officer Troy Carrasco and his partner officer Nick Bryant have arrested a suspect who may be responsible for several burglaries in the Richmond District, including a "hot prowl."

Drawing on their experience in law enforcement as well as their experience in patrol conducting investigations, Carrasco and Bryant identified the suspected perpetrator from a drawing by SFPD's sketch artist. Following up on fingerprint evidence obtained from a separate burglary and a positive identification from a victim, they were able to arrest the suspect - a parolee with a history of burglary charges.

These officers are working hard to make the Richmond District safe.

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