The trend in local crime is heading in the right direction, says Northern Station Captain Greg McEachern. “While we still see incidents occurring at random times and locations, we are not seeing the same level of criminal activity as we saw at this time last year,” he notes. “I attribute the decreased activity to increased police presence due to recent hirings, strategic deployment of personnel to hot-spot locations and activity, and public education campaigns which … the public have embraced as a requisite to remain safe.”
Here are the crime statistics comparing May 2014 to May 2013.
Violent Crime
Citywide homicide: down 36%
Northern District homicide: down 50%
Citywide rape: up 6%
Northern District rape: up 27%
Citywide robbery: down 26%
Northern District robbery: down 30%
Citywide aggravated assault: down 1%
Northern District aggravated assault: down 19%
Citywide burglary: up 3%
Northern District burglary: up 13%
Citywide auto theft: up 12%
Northern District auto theft: up 15%
Citywide theft from vehicle: up 7%
Northern District theft from vehicle: down 7%
Citywide arson: down 9%
Northern District arson: up 22%
The crimes below are a small snapshot of what the officers of Northern Station are doing. For a more comprehensive list, visit sf-police.org; under Compstat, there is a link to CrimeMAPS.
JUST HELPING A FRIEND
June 2, 11:20 a.m.
1300 Block of Van Ness Avenue
A local store summoned police officers to report a credit card fraud in progress. The officers arrived to find the male subject still on the scene; he told them he was just picking up a table for his friend. The officers checked his receipt and the card number was the same as one that was reported stolen, with a known loss of more than $400. The subject was arrested and booked at Northern Station.
JUST HELPING HIMSELF TO A BIKE
June 3, 11:30 a.m.
2200 Block of Greenwich Street
After locating a motorcycle that had been reported stolen, police officers attempted to return it to its rightful owner. But the owner showed up to the scene without keys or a motorcycle helmet, so the officers made arrangements to have the bike towed and released it to its owner.
While the owner was waiting for the tow truck, the alleged thief returned to the bike and attempted to take it again. He explained that he had purchased the motorcycle for $600 and he knew it was stolen; he gave the key to the rightful owner, begging him not to call the police. The owner nonetheless called 911 when the subject slapped the phone out of his hands. At this point, the police officers arrived and detained the subject, who was booked at Northern Station.
OWNER UNKNOWN
June 8, 7:22 a.m.
Olive Street at Van Ness Avenue
Officers were dispatched to where a witness was reportedly following the subject of an auto burglary. The witness directed the officers to the subject, who was detained carrying a bag. The subject said the clothing in the bag was his, as was the wallet inside the bag.
Then, officers say the subject appeared to get more nervous. He said that he found the clothing in “the dumpster,” but couldn’t tell officers which dumpster. Then he said he found the clothing on the street.
The witness confirmed that the detained subject was the person seen smashing the window of the vehicle. The witness also directed officers to the location of the vehicle, but when officers ran a computer check on the car, they got only a P.O. box and not an address, so they were unable to locate the owner at that time.
The subject was booked at Northern Station.
CANDID CAMERA
June 9, 2 a.m.
1300 Block of Post Street
A security guard called to report a bicycle theft in progress. He was watching the subject via the building’s security camera, and he said the subject appeared to be stripping parts off a bike. He described the subject, who was wearing a distinctive “Cal” hooded sweatshirt.
Police officers arrived and detained the subject, who admitted to stealing the bike parts and also admitted that he was on probation. He was booked at Northern Station.
KNIFEPOINT ROBBERY
June 9, 8:05 a.m.
Farrell at Larkin Streets
Officers were called regarding a reported robbery in progress. The suspect was described as a female wearing a blue sweatshirt and jeans; she had a large knife that she used to rob a male victim. A witness told officers the subject had entered an address on Ellis Street.
Officers were able to locate the victim, who had spots of blood on his head and shirt, and they got further details from him. He said he had been hit in the head by multiple subjects who then stole $95 from him. The police officers summoned medics to tend to his wounds.
Officers were also able to locate two subjects, who were identified by the victim. The two subjects were arrested and booked at County Jail.
