Police Beat: Capt. Richard Corriea

Twenty-five Richmond residents attended our Community/ Police Forum on graffiti on July 21. The group heard from Officer Christopher Putz of the SF Police Department's Graffiti Abatement Unit and Peachy Mathias from the SF Department of Public Works. Peachy and Chris provided a great deal of insight into the many types of graffiti, the mindset of graffiti vandals, and what we as a community can do about graffiti vandalism.

The Department of Public Work's Web site (www.sfgov.org/dpw) contains information on the topic of graffiti.

At Richmond Station, we are starting an anti-graffiti operation in August that includes distributing graffiti abatement literature to merchants and residents, and notifying the Department of Public Works about graffiti that needs to be removed. Please call 911 immediately if you see an act of graffiti in-progress.

During the month of June, Richmond Station officers handled 5,621 calls for service, a decrease of 73 calls from June 2008.

Our most urgent calls are classified as "Priority A" emergencies. "Priority B" calls are urgent, but not emergencies, and all other calls are classified as "Priority C."

The Richmond's December 2008 numbers broke down as follows: 261 "Priority A" calls, 669 "Priority B" calls and 4,691 "Priority C" calls.

Since the first of the year officers have been focusing traffic enforcement efforts in response to your complaints about particular problems, as well as at locations that we know to be especially dangerous.

In June, officers issued 500 citations for moving violations and our speed indicator trailer was deployed daily around the district.

I am delighted to report that the number of injury traffic collisions has declined rather precipitously in the last two months. At the end of April we stood at 108 injury accidents for the year, an average of 27 per month. In May, the number of collisions declined to 19 and in June there were 12.

Reports of robberies and burglaries are both lower in the month of June. There were 12 robberies in April, 16 in May and eight in June. These incidents, mainly street robberies, have been occurring throughout the district and at times ranging from mid-afternoon to the late evening. The crimes tend to occur on streets immediately adjacent to Geary Boulevard and victims are usually walking alone.

These robberies are most often perpetrated by two or more suspects. They seem drawn to victims who are listening to music on earphones or talking on a cell phone, likely because they can sneak up on the victim without being heard.

In June of 2008 there were 24 burglaries in the district. The recent three-month trend is as follows: 30 burglaries in April, 32 in May and 14 in June.

If you see anyone suspicious in your neighborhood, please call the police immediately.ÊÊ

Remember, most residential burglaries are committed in the daytime hours and often no force is used to gain entry. I encourage you to contact San Francisco Safety Awareness for Everyone (SAFE) to learn how you can protect your home from being burglarized. Telephone SAFE at (415) 553-1984 or visit its Web site at http://sfsafe.org.

The King Tut exhibit opened recently at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum. We had anticipated significant traffic problems due to the exhibit; however, it seems that with tickets being sold for particular admission times traffic is spread out more evenly over the entire day. Public transportation is still recommended since the museum's garage fills to capacity by mid-morning most days and there is very little street parking.

The increase in summer visitors to the California Academy of Sciences and the de Young Museum has not slipped the attention of auto burglars, who are especially active in Golden Gate Park between Arguello Boulevard and Crossover Drive.

We had 92 auto burglaries in April, 59 in May and 69 in June.

On July 25, 2009, Richmond officers' working in plain clothes staked out a car at Middle Drive and Bowling Green Drive in Golden Gate Park. There were several items of value in the car, including a backpack, computer and iPod. The officers knew from experience that an auto burglar would find the car an appealing target. Several hours into the stakeout, an individual burglarized the car and was immediately arrested. A subsequent search of the suspect turned up evidence from a theft committed nearby earlier in the day and narcotics.

The suspect, who has been arrested 49 times, including 31 times for felonies, was booked for burglary, possession of stolen property, theft and a narcotics violation. This individual is likely responsible for several auto burglaries daily.

If you are interested in seeing other crime stats, please visit www.sfgov.org and navigate to the Police Department's home page, where you will find a link to Crime Maps.

The Richmond Station distributes an e-mail newsletter every Friday. It 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 the list, please e-mail us at sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org or visit the Web site at http://richmondforum.wordpress.com, where the current station newsletter, past editions and periodic public safety advisories are posted.

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