Full Notification

“Police Blotter” Highlights – Ending Nov. 8th, 2015

ROBBERIES
On Monday, Nov. 2nd, around 3:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. The victim was walking on the trail behind the Crowne Plaza hotel, under the I-880 overpass, when two suspects robbed him of his cell phone at knife point. The suspect with the knife threatened to stab the victim if he did not hand over his property. The two suspects fled on foot in an unknown direction. The first suspect was described as a Hispanic male, 18-25 years old, 5’6”-5’8” and 130-160 lbs., wearing a light blue North Face puffy jacket with the hood over his head, and a black ski mask covering his neck and mouth. The second suspect was described as a black male, 18-25 years old, 5’6”-5’8” and 130-160 lbs., wearing a dark North Face puffy jacket with the hood over his head, and a black ski mask covering his neck and mouth.

On Thursday, Nov. 5th, around 8:30 a.m., Ofc. Alberto was dispatched to the 1700 block of Decoto Rd. on the report of a just-occurred robbery. Two suspects snatched a black handbag, containing cash and a passport, from the victim. They fled in a silver four-door vehicle. The first suspect was described as a black male in his 40s, 6’0”-6’3” with a muscular build, short black hair and a mustache. The second suspect was described as a black male adult, 5’10” with a thick build, and short black hair.

On Friday, Nov. 6th, around 11:45 a.m., Ofc. Alberto was dispatched to a late reported robbery. The victim said he was standing on the sidewalk of Union Square about 1:30 a.m. or 2 a.m. when a suspect approached him and asked for a cigarette. The victim gave him a cigarette, and the suspect left. He returned a short time later, punched the victim, removed items from his pocket, and fled on foot. The suspect was described as a black male, 28-30 years old, 6’2”-6’3” with a muscular build (about 220 lbs.), wearing a black hat with green lines in front, long-sleeved black T-shirt, black pants and white shoes.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Robbery Attempts:
On Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, Ofc. Yaeger was dispatched to the report of a robbery attempt. The victim was in the area of Alvarado-Niles Rd. and Meyers Dr. around 5:45 p.m., when a suspect asked to use the victim’s cell phone to call his wife. When the victim refused, the suspect attempted to take the cell phone by force, but the victim fought him off. He described the suspect as a Hispanic male, late 40s to early 50s, 5’5”-5’6” and 160 lbs., with balding grey hair and “scruffy” facial hair.

On Saturday, Nov. 7th, around 8:45 p.m., officers responded to the area of Meyers Dr. and Decoto Rd. on the report of a robbery attempt. Three suspects approached the victim. One punched him and then checked his pockets for items to steal. The victim ran to his nearby residence with the three suspects in pursuit, but they fled to Kennedy Park when the victim’s friends confronted them. The first suspect was described as a white male, 18-20 years old, 5’10”-6’0” with a medium build, and short black hair. The second suspect could only be described as a white male wearing a red hoodie, and there was no description of the third suspect.

Vehicle Theft Arrest:
On Sunday, Nov. 8th, around 9 p.m., Ofc. Olson was patrolling the area of Dyer St. and Whipple Rd., when he observed a vehicle with stolen license plates. He initiated a felony car stop and detained the driver. The vehicle had been reported stolen out of Hayward. James Toomey, a 28-year-old Newark resident, was arrested for vehicle theft.

BURGLARIES AND CAR THEFTS

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARIES
From Monday, Nov. 2nd through Sunday, Nov. 8th, there were five reported residential burglaries and one attempt:
• 32800 block of Arbor Vine Dr.: Occurred on Monday, Nov. 2nd, between 5 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The front door was kicked in. The residence was ransacked, and the loss included electronics.
• 31300 block of Pike Pl.: Occurred on Thursday, Nov. 5th, between 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The sliding glass door was smashed. Areas of the house were searched or ransacked, but the victim is not aware of any loss at this time.
• 200 block of Molokai Circle: Occurred on Thursday, Nov. 5th, between 9:40 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. The rear door was pried. The residence was partially ransacked, and the loss included jewelry and a camera.
• 2800 block of Pelican Dr.: Occurred between Wednesday, Nov. 4th at 1 p.m., and Friday, Nov. 6th at 8 a.m. Windows and screens were removed while the residence was tented for fumigation. The loss included tools.
• 2700 block of Oak Tree Ct.: Occurred on Sunday, Nov. 8th, between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. The door to the garage was forced or kicked open, and clothes, tools and electronics were stolen from the garage. All the property was recovered nearby.
• 31300 block of Mackinaw St. (attempt only): Occurred on Saturday, Nov. 7th, around 7:50 p.m. The rear sliding glass door was pried, but a wooden dowel in the track prevented it from being opened.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARIES
From Monday, Nov. 2nd through Sunday, Nov. 8th, there were no reported commercial burglaries.

AUTO BURGLARIES AND VEHICLE THEFTS
From Monday, Nov. 2nd through Sunday, Nov. 8th, there were eight reported auto burglaries. More than half of them occurred at the Union Landing shopping center and involved items of value that were left on the vehicle floorboard or under the seats. One victim stated that after parking, he moved two laptops to the trunk, but they were stolen. Safety Tip: As a reminder, never leave items of value inside your vehicle! If you move any items into your vehicle’s trunk or cargo area, do so *before* arriving at your destination, not after.

From Monday, Nov. 2nd through Sunday, Nov. 8th, there were four reported vehicle thefts. As of the time of this report, two of the vehicles have been recovered.

ATM SAFETY
Banks around the Bay Area are continuing to see a proliferation of “shoulder surfing” incidents at ATMs. If you have been a victim of this crime, please report it to the police.

Always be mindful of your surroundings when you are using an ATM, especially if it is outside. If your bank has a drive-through ATM or an ATM in a secure lobby, use that instead. After you complete a transaction, most ATMs will ask you if you want to conduct another transaction. Make sure you push “no” before you walk away from the machine. Many ATMs have mirrors on them, so you can see if someone else approaches the machine. If anyone does, or if someone in line is standing close enough to see what you are doing, immediately cancel your transaction, remove your card and walk away.


Anyone with information on local crime or any of the listed incidents should contact the Investigations Division at 510-675-5247. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact the tips line by calling 510-675-5207 or email [email protected].

LET US KNOW HOW WE ARE DOING
We strive to provide excellent service to the community and are interested in hearing from members of the public about the quality of our service. Please share your experience and let us know how we’re doing. Visit http://www.ci.union-city.ca.us/departments/police-department to complete a Police Customer Satisfaction Survey.

EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHTS
On Thursday, Nov. 5th, officers visited Kitayama Elementary School for UCPD’s “Recess with the Cops” program, where they played sports and interacted with the students. The idea is for uniformed officers to visit schools within the district and play with the students during recess. The program gives youth, school district employees and UCPD officers an opportunity to interact in a very different environment – the playground!

Effective Monday, Nov. 9th, Andrew Holt was promoted to Sergeant. Congratulations!