Full Notification

Notable Cases

On Tuesday, 04-23-13, officers were dispatched to the easement area of the San Francisco Golf Club that runs along the homes on Wilshire Avenue on the report of a suspicious subject who may be casing homes to possibly burglarize them. (There was a residential burglary a couple of weeks ago on Wilshire Avenue.) The reporting party said she was looking out her window when she saw a subject in the easement between the rear fence of her residence and the San Francisco Golf Club. She said the subject stared back at her. She said she then ran to get her camera and took some pictures of him. She said it appears he may also have been taking pictures of her. Officers found the subject, a 42 year old transient male, on South Mayfair Avenue. He advised that he had taken Bart and was walking in the area because he “loved nature”. He was uncooperative with officers, and he was subsequently arrested for disorderly conduct and obstructing/resisting an officer.

On Saturday, 04-27-13, at approximately 7:22 PM, Officer Taylor Johnson was dispatched to the Starbuck’s parking lot on Gellert Boulevard on the report of a male subject selling electronics out of his vehicle. When Officer Johnson arrived on scene, he saw a male with two males on a bench who were examining laptops. There were also several other laptops on the bench. Officer Johnson checked the serial numbers of the laptops, and he discovered they were stolen from Berkeley and Kensington. The suspect, a 20 year old Berkeley resident, said he came to Daly City to sell laptops that he had purchased the day before. He explained that he had purchased a box full of laptops and tablets for $1,200 from a black male near the Bart station in downtown Berkeley. The suspect also had on a large amount of jewelry, and it is suspected that the jewelry was also stolen. The suspect was arrested for receiving stolen property and was booked into the county jail.

Robberies

There were no robberies during the past week.


Residential Burglaries

There were no residential burglaries during the past week.


Commercial Burglaries

There were no commercial burglaries during the past week.


Vehicle Burglaries

There were three vehicle burglaries during the past week. Please do not leave any valuables in plain sight. It is just too tempting for a burglar.

• Serramonte Shopping Center parking lot near Macy’s—a bag containing a laptop and iPad from a 2013 Ford Fusion. The rear passenger window was smashed. Occurred on 04-22-13 between 4:00 PM and 4:51 PM.
• Serramonte Shopping Center parking lot near Wells Fargo Bank—a backpack was taken from the rear seat of a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. The rear passenger window was smashed. Occurred on 04-24-13 between 6:30 PM and 8:00 PM.
• 600 block of Bellevue Avenue—nothing taken from a 2011 Nissan Sentra. It is unknown how the suspect gained entry. Occurred on 04-28-13 between 2:30 AM and 6:30 AM.


Stolen Vehicles

There were seven stolen vehicles this past week. Four of the stolen vehicles were recovered.

• Winchester Street/Acton Street—a 1997 Honda Civic. Occurred on 04-22-13 between 2:30 PM and 9:00 PM. **Recovered 15 minutes later by DCPD.
• 600 block of Higate Drive—a 2003 Ford E0350. Occurred between 6:30 PM on 04-22-13 and 7:30 AM on 04-23-13. **Recovered on 04-23-13 by DCPD.
• Unit block of Bellevue Avenue—a 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer. Occurred between 7:00 PM on 04-23-13 and 6:20 AM on 04-24-13.
• Unit block of Fairlawn Court—a 1997 Acura TL. Occurred on 04-27-13 at 3:00 PM. **Recovered by San Francisco Police Department on 04-29-13.
• Serramonte Shopping Center parking lot on the south side of JC Penney—a 1988 Porsche 911. Occurred on 04-28-13 between 12:55 PM and 2:38 PM.
• Serramonte Shopping Center parking lot #C-8—a 1991 Honda Accord. Occurred on 04-28-13 between 1:00 PM and 2:45 PM. **Vehicle recovered shortly thereafter in lot #C-7. The engine was running, and there was no key in the ignition.
• Westlake Shopping Center parking lot near Safeway—a 1995 Honda Accord. Occurred between 11:00 AM on 04-28-13 and 2:00 AM on 04-29-13.


Scams/Other

I have no scams to report this week. Last week I shared with you tips on how to avoid being a victim of a car break-in. Today I want to share with you the following tips on how to avoid being the victim of a “door knock” residential burglary. This type of burglary is currently the most common method burglars use to break into homes. In this type of burglary, suspects pose as service-people or salespeople and canvass the area by knocking on doors. They are looking for unoccupied homes where there is no reply to their knock. They then check the perimeter of the home for unsecured doors or windows and/or locate a door or window out of sight from the street to make their forced entry.

Tips to avoid door knock burglaries:

• Let people know you are home: Suspects generally choose unoccupied homes to victimize. You do not have to answer the door and instead, answer through the door and ask the solicitors to go away. If they do not leave, call the police via 911.

• Secure your doors and windows: Make sure that all of your doors have deadbolt locks. Make an effort to keep your garage door closed at all times, even if you are home. Since windows may have latches instead of locks, make sure you have a secondary blocking device to prevent windows to be opened from the outside.

• Have an extra layer of security: Consider obtaining an alarm if you do not have one. The signs and stickers are also deterrents.

• Lighting: Sufficient lighting around a home can be a deterrent to criminals who do not want to be seen when committing their crimes. Use porch lights, landscape lighting and timer lights inside the house.

• Spare keys: Do not keep a spare key near your front door. Thieves know where to look.

• Landscaping: Remove objects that prevent you from seeing unwanted guests on your property. Trim low tree branches and keep shrubbery trimmed so that they don’t provide a hiding place for criminals. .

• Be a good neighbor: Get to know your neighbors on each side of your home and directly across the street. Communicate often and establish trust. Ask your neighbors to watch out for your home when you are away. If you see a crime in progress or anything that appears to be suspicious, call 911 or the non-emergency business phone number.

If you have any suggestions or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your concern for our community.