At the end of this month, people will be celebrating Halloween. In addition to the dress-up parties and pumpkin pies, many people will participate in the annual tradition of trick-or-treating. Though the horror stories of mass tampering with treats have been mostly apocryphal, it is still a time to beware of people taking advantage of others who trust strangers because of the holiday.
This is particularly true for children. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has prepared a list of health and safety tips. These include:
- Avoid trick-or-treating alone; walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
- Eat only factory-wrapped treats; avoid eating homemade treats made by strangers.
- Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult. Only visit well-lit houses; don’t stop at dark houses. Never accept rides from strangers.
- Only walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
- Carry a flashlight to help you see and be seen; fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.
- Look both ways before crossing the street (this is particularly important if you are wearing a mask or other headgear that might limit your peripheral vision); use established crosswalks wherever possible.
Those are good tips for children, of course, but even adults who might be out and about at Halloween time should be extra careful, in particular when on the street. Unfortunately, it is a time of inebriated drivers, and you don’t want to become their victim.
The CDC’s safety tips include other non-crime-related health and safety suggestions; you can read the entire list at cdc.gov/family/halloween.
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, select the link to CrimeMAPS.
WRONG PLACE, RIGHT TIME
July 25, 5:35 a.m.
Hemlock at Polk Streets
Though police officers were given a description of a subject committing an auto burglary, they found numerous other identification aids when they arrived and spotted the male. He had many items of personal property on the road by his feet; he was standing next to a vehicle with a broken window; and he had in his hands items that he had removed from the car. He was positively identified by the person who had called in the initial description, and he was booked at Northern Station. The items were returned to the car’s owner.
YES, THAT IS A GUN
July 26, 10:45 p.m.
1900 Block of Lombard Street
Officers responded to a report of a fight in progress, in which one male subject was strangling another in front of a restaurant. When the officers arrived, the subjects had fled but witnesses told them the direction of flight and the officers soon had the subjects detained. During a search of one of the subjects, officers discovered a loaded concealed gun in a holster. The subject was booked at Northern Station.
INSTAGRAM MOMENT
July 30, 11:11 p.m.
600 Block of Eddy Street
Officers on patrol in an area of high drug sales and use saw a suspicious vehicle parked along the curb; inside were a male and a female, and another subject was on the sidewalk leaning into the vehicle. The officers ran a check on the car’s license plate and learned that the car had been reported stolen in San Jose.
The male subject in the car was able to walk away before the police could detain him, but the other male and the female were detained without incident. The female told officers that the car was her father’s; officers contacted the vehicle owner who said that he believed his daughter had taken the car without permission and he wanted her arrested to “teach her a lesson.” The daugher was read her Miranda rights, and she admitted taking the car without permission but didn’t know her father had reported it stolen.
The male subject turned out to be someone on parole for robbery. He told the police he had no idea that the car was stolen; he said he barely knows the female and had met her via Instagram and this was the first time they had met.
Officers made arrests for grand theft auto, parole violation, and probation violation arrest.
“I’M NOT GONNA LIE”
August 1, 7:35 p.m.
1700 Block of O’Farrell Street
A caller told police about a male subject stealing items from packages in an apartment lobby. Officers showed up and found the subject hiding behind a trash can along with a duffle bag. He was detained and his bag searched. In it, officers found numerous packages with different names and addresses on them, along with other mail. The subject said “I’m not gonna lie; I stole those things.” The subject was booked at Northern Station.
