Southern Station Newsletter
SFPDSouth...@sfgov.org
August 6, 2010
Captain’s Comments
This issue of the Southern Station newsletter marks my first as the newly appointed Captain of Southern Station. By now, most of you have received my introductory letter and my pledge to work with the community to solve the issues facing the SOMA district. As stated in my introductory letter, I am a firm believer that a collaborative effort between the police department and the community we serve is what will make our community safer and is paramount for success. Part of our efforts at Southern Station is to be successful in reducing crime and address community concerns; all in an effort to make the SOMA community safer. To that end, this section of the newsletter will serve as my opportunity to speak to you on various issues and concerns in the district, to relay crime trends, and to discuss what we at Southern Station are doing to make the SOMA community safer.
Crime in the District
Compstat has given our department an opportunity to have real time statistics for crime within the district. Year to date, violent crimes are down 3% and property crimes are down 10%. Overall, part one crime’s, which include violent crimes and property crimes, are down 9%. While I am pleased with these numbers our goal is to reduce part one crime even further and have a sustained double digit decrease year over year. Through the combined effort of law enforcement, community engagement, and pro-active actions I’m hopeful that we will meet our goal of further part one crime reduction in the future.
Monthly Community Meeting
There will not be a monthly community meeting for August. Please look in the next Southern newsletter for the September Community meeting and its location and time. The meeting will take place on Wednesday September 15th.
Issue of the month
Each month, my plan is to address a specific crime or concerns that affect the SOMA district. Included in this section will be a brief synopsis of the issue, what we as a department will be doing to address the issue, and what you, the community, can do to assist. This month, my focus is on pedestrian safety. As I’m sure you are all aware, the SOMA district has heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic, especially with tourists and the workforce. The SOMA district is also home to many residents, including the elderly, who walk to various locations to eat, shop, and accomplish other daily needs. Pedestrian and vehicular accidents can be prevalent leading to an increase concern for safety. Southern Station officer’s are aware of the issues and are working diligently to ensure the safety of pedestrians while at the same time ensuring that the vehicular traffic flow remains uncongested in the district.
As part of our efforts, Southern Station personnel will be running numerous operations in the coming months addressing vehicular violations, pedestrian right of way violations, bicycle violations, and other concerns facing the residents of the SOMA district. To assist in our efforts, I am asking for your help. Southern Station has compiled a list of problematic intersections and violations that occur in the district. They include locations high in vehicular accidents and intersections with high pedestrian traffic. In order to fully identify problematic areas I am asking the public to e-mail Southern Station with problem locations and activities. Southern Station personnel will add the locations to our list and address the problems during our operations and during daily patrol. When e-mailing, feel free to be as specific as you’d like addressing exactly what the problems entail. The email’s can be sent to sfpd.south...@sfgov.org.
In this month’s issue I am including a recent article regarding pedestrian safety that was written by Katy Liddel and Bronwyn Bailey of our Community Advisory Board. Katy and Bronwyn, along with the CAB board, have been instrumental in promoting the safety concerns of the community and in fostering an extremely cooperative effort between the community and our department. The article gives excellent tips on pedestrian safety and addresses the issues facing pedestrians and vehicles in the SOMA district. I hope you find the article as useful as I did.
Captain Greg McEachern
Commanding Officer
Southern Station
Pedestrian Safety is a Two-Way Street
By Katy Liddell and Bronwyn Bailey
Have you ever tried to walk across the street, only to return to the curb because a car was speeding through the intersection? Or how many times have you hit the brakes to avoid hitting someone who darted out of nowhere into the middle of the road? Whether on foot or by car, navigating the streets of San Francisco requires care and vigilance to pedestrian safety.
The Community Advisory Board (CAB) for the Southern Police Station has adopted pedestrian safety as one of its’ focus areas for 2010. Headed by newly appointed police Captain Greg McEachern and composed of residents and business owners, the Southern CAB is focused on preventing crime and increasing the safety of people who live, work, and visit its’ district. Pedestrian safety is especially important for this CAB because the streets South of Market (SOMA) and other parts the Southern police district include some of the most dangerous intersections. A 2007 SFMTA Collision Report studied the number of intersection auto collisions with pedestrians and cyclists and found that six of the ten intersections with the most collisions are located in this police district.
Many streets in SOMA serve as arteries for traffic entering and exiting local freeways. These roads invite speeding cars and large trucks, which are not compatible with pedestrians. With the influx of new condominiums, the ballpark, new restaurants and businesses, the SOMA area has seen the population- and accidents- rise. To motorists who are eager to arrive at their destination, pedestrians are often an afterthought.
Accidents can occur when a motorist is not watching the road or when a pedestrian is distracted. Both drivers and walkers need to obey traffic laws to avoid stiff penalties. Motorists who fail to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk can face a $212 fine. Likewise, pedestrians who cross against a red light can be issued a $108 citation. To avoid accidents, drivers should avoid using cell phones to talk or text while driving, and pedestrians should look for cars even when they have the right-of-way.
Whether a driver, cyclist or pedestrian, everyone needs to do his part to adhere to pedestrian safety. It’s a two-way street! The bottom line is courtesy and safety for all.
Crime Log
On July 11 at approximately 10:30pm a group of 4 men robbed a man on a bicycle in front of 1072 Market St. The 48 year old man resisted and was viciously kicked and beaten, He suffered face and skull fractures and was admitted to Intensive Care at San Francisco General Hospital. Several citizens who witnessed the robbery and attack came forward and gave excellent descriptions of the suspects. Surveillance cameras from nearby businesses were also able to provide videotape of the incident. The Market Street Footbeat officers recognized the suspects from the videotape and arrests were made on all 4 suspects.
On July 19th at approximately 4pm a person was robbed of their Iphone at 4th and Brannan Streets. The person robbed was at the time testing the Global Positioning System on the phone. The victim was able to provide to SFPD dispatch a description of the suspect. She was also able to provide a near exact location of the stolen phone. Officers responding to the call were directed to 14th and Folsom streets where they saw the described suspect on a bike. They arrested the suspect and found the stolen Iphone. The Officers also found property on the suspect from a robbery earlier in the day at Golden Gate and Franklin. The suspect was charged in both crimes.
On July 19th at about 12:00 noon a 29 year old man walked into Pacific Bicycles on 4th Street. He gave the salesman a Texas drivers license and a Visa Credit Card (both stolen) and asked to take a $4,200 road bike for a test ride. He rode out of the store and did not return. Southern Station Officers, knowing that stolen property is sold in the vicinity of 7th and Market Streets staked out the area until they saw the suspect. They arrested him with the stolen bike. The suspect also had a cell phone in his pocket which continually rang. The Officers answered the phone and spoke to the owner of the phone who said that it was stolen from his car earlier in the day and he wanted it back. The suspect was arrested on numerous burglary, theft, and fraud charges.
Community Events
August 14 and 15 Pistahan Fillipino Cutural Fair and Parade – Yerba Buena Gardens
Text-a-Tip Set Up Instructions
Non-Blackberry Cellular Telephones
Dial 847411-then “Store”
Select “Mobile” phone contact-then Select
The screen will appear to attach a name to the stored number
Name: TIP411 (The mobile number 847-411should be attached)-then Okay
Then “Done” to save it.
Now that it is stored
Select TIP411 as the address
Menu-Send Message-Select
New Text-Select
The message board will appear-Type SFPD then leave a space
Type your Message and Send
You will receive a reply message in seconds
Blackberry telephones
Similar to above
First you need to add TIP411 to your mobile contact list
Select TIP411 enter
The cursor will be in blue on the #8 (847411)
Click the ball and select SMS TEXT TIP411
Type your message starting with SFPD (space) … then send
You will receive a response within seconds
Community Court
Become a Community Court panelist and give back to your community. Community Court is a restorative justice program that addresses misdemeanor crimes which occur in your neighborhood. As a panelist, you have a unique opportunity to hear offenses that impact your quality of life, determine its consequences, and figure out how best to resolve it using meaningful sanctions. Use your neighborhood wisdom to solve neighborhood problems. Make your neighborhood better – get involved today!
For more information, please contact the District Attorney’s Officer, Jackson Gee, 551-9531 or jacks...@sfgov.org
Southern Station Resource List:
EMERGENCY: 911
Non-Emergency: 553-0123
Anonymous Tip Line 575-4444
Customer Service Center: 311 *
Cell phone 911: 553-8090
Southern Station: 553-1373
Web: www.sfgov.org/police
(For Crime Stats, Internet reports, etc.)
Southern Station email sfpd.south...@sfgov.org
Captain Greg McEachern Greg.Mc...@sfgov.org
Graffiti Abatement 278-9454
Graffiti Fax 278-9456
Southern Station Events: 553-9191 Sergeant Tad Yamaguchi
Southern Station Permits: 553-9192 Officer Jake Canion
Code Abatement: 553-1308 Officer Maureen Leonard **
Deputy City Attorney: 554-3887 Jennifer Choi
Dept. Parking & Traffic: 553-1943
DPW: 695-2020 Dispatch
Quality of Life Liaison: 553-1373
SF SAFE 553-1984 San_Francis...@mail.vresp.com
Homeless Issues: 553-1373 / © 713-1618 Officer Walt Miranda
Officer Kevin Edison
Megan’s Law Website Access:
The general public can find out information on sexual predators on line by going to the DOJ website: www.meganslaw.ca.gov or at the SFPD link at www.sfgov.org/police. You may check specific names or zip codes to locate those listed in the database.
Join The San Francisco Citizen’s Police Academy
For more information, including application process, please call Ms.Lula Magallon at (415) 401-4720, or Officer Maria Oropeza at (415) 401-4701. You can also email us at sfpd_citizens...@yahoo.com or visit our website: http://www.sfgov.org/site/police_index.asp?id=20182.
311 Customer Service Center:
What is 311? 311 is a toll free, NON-EMERGENCY phone number that the public can call to access information about government services. A live customer service representative will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. The service is available to both wired and wireless customers. Wireless customers should call (415) 701-2311. 311 employees will be able to provide translations services in more than 145 languages and dialects and will employ a diverse staff of customer service representatives. Additionally, 311 is set up to accept calls form the hearing impaired by utilizing a TTY System.
*311 will also take police reports if you DO NOT have any suspect description and the crime is not in progress. After meeting these conditions these are the reports 311 will take: Harassing phone calls, vehicle break in, vehicle tampering, lost property, theft, and vandalism/graffiti reports.
Cell phone 911:
How does 911 work on cell phones in San Francisco?
If you are on surface streets in San Francisco and dial 911, your call will be answered by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management Services. Once the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management Services determines what emergency services are needed, they will then route your 911 call to the San Francisco Police Department or the San Francisco Fire Department, including ambulance service.
If you are on a freeway in San Francisco and dial 911, your call will be answered by either by the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management Services or the California Highway Patrol Dispatch Center. Regardless, your 911 call will be routed to the proper emergency agency, the San Francisco Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, or the San Francisco Fire Department, including ambulance service.
Community and Business Groups & Associations:
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- Mid-Market Project Area Committee (PAC)
- Rincon Point South Beach Citizens’ Advisory Committee
- South of Market Project Area Committee (SOMPAC)
- North Mission Neighborhood Alliance
- SOMA Leadership Council
- Central Market Community Business District
Captain Greg McEachern
Southern Police Station
850 Bryant Street
SF, CA 94103