“Accept things as they are, not as you would have them be. When you do this, only then can you obtain the clarity necessary to do what needs to be done.” —Coach Jim Sochor
During these uncertain times, while facing public health Covid-19 dangers and daily acts of civil disobedience, I find solace in the words once used to explain to me how to best overcome adversity.
San Francisco police, since March 1, have been engaged in actively saving lives and supporting high-risk populations in danger of contracting the coronavirus. Low-income residents have received groceries, masks, and medical referrals to testing sites that have helped to suppress the spread of the virus. Also, the death of George Floyd during a police arrest in Minneapolis has resulted in daily Black Lives Matter-inspired protests since March 30 in our city. The public health crisis, when paired with the daily demands upon district police, has required officers to dig deep within themselves to deliver quality police services.
With this as my backdrop, I would like to thank all community members, including our local merchants, residents, and law enforcement officers for the support given during my past two-and-a-half years as the commanding officer of Northern Station.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the position, and it is with mixed emotions that I announce my retirement from the San Francisco Police Department after 28 years of service and my newly announced appointment to assistant sheriff within the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office.
Captain Paul Yep, a veteran officer within the police department and former commanding officer of Richmond and Central Police Stations, took control of Northern Station on Saturday, May 29, 2020. Captain Yep brings with him an enthusiasm for the job and administrative, educational, and patrol knowledge that will help him to continue the work of Northern Station into the future.
Please attend our Northern Station monthly meetings when you can, read our SFPD postings on our department Twitter page, and subscribe to our weekly station newsletter for the most up-to-date events, crime statistics, and community outreach (sanfranciscopolice.org/stations/northern-station).
Thank you, citizens and merchants, for allowing me to be your captain. It has been an honor and a privilege that has brought me great joy over the past two-and-a-half years. Please welcome Captain Yep into our community and treat him well.
Here are some recent Northside crimes, compiled by the Marina Times.
THE WORST PICKUP
May 25, 7:15 a.m.
1485 Bush Street
A woman who was screaming for help from the bed of a pickup truck led to officers stopping the vehicle without incident. After a brief conversation, the woman voluntarily got into the truck, and she and the driver then went to her residence, where they had sexual relations.
Two hours later, the victim requested the subject leave her apartment. He did, but later he returned and entered her residence without her permission, accusing her of stealing his property. She denied the allegations and began searching for the items, at which point the subject stole some of her property and fled.
The victim chased after the subject to try to get her property back. She jumped into the bed of his pickup truck. She saw him holding onto her property inside the cab of the vehicle. As the victim tried to take her property back from the subject, he began to drive the truck with her still in the exterior bed of the vehicle. The subject drove the vehicle erratically at a high rate of speed and began throwing the victim’s property out of the window, damaging it.
The subject eventually stopped the vehicle; the victim jumped out of the bed to try to pull the last of her property out of the vehicle. The subject then exited, put his arm around her neck to drop her to the ground, and then drove away again. The victim, however, was able to get back inside the bed of the vehicle. She began screaming for help when officers approached the vehicle and conducted a felony stop. The subject was arrested without incident.
ANYONE CAN PLAY GUITAR
May 31, 12:17 a.m.
1645 Van Ness Avenue
Officers responding to reports of a burglary in progress observed the suspect holding a guitar in front of the building. They saw another suspect walking away from the burglarized Guitar Center and detained him. He was subsequently released due to no stolen property found on his person.
The suspect in front of the store had left the scene, and officers found two guitars placed inside a rolling garbage can, and a third guitar lying on the ground. They placed the stolen and recovered property back inside the store and closed the security gates.
Officers located the subject inside the store, and he was detained and placed under arrest for looting the business during a state of emergency.
Eight hours later, another incident occurred at the same location. Officers discovered that the glass doors had been smashed in and the security gate was pried open, causing permanent damage. They located one suspect and ordered him to stop causing damage. While officers were speaking to that suspect, another subject emerged carrying stolen and recovered guitars. That subject quickly walked away from the officers, who followed him on foot.
The subject eventually dropped the guitars and began to run. Other officers arrived on the scene and were able to stop the subject and detain him in handcuffs. Officers went back to the guitar center, with the stolen guitars in hand, and met with a responsible party who confirmed the guitars had been stolen from the store. The subject was booked in this case.
