Some say it is a sign of troubled times – others say it is a pattern in the Marina District that repeats itself over the years because it is where people with money live.

Money or no, there is unease over reports about some nasty assaults on Chestnut Street near Fillmore recently. One involves the pistol-whipping of a woman. Using a weapon during an assault is a scary matter, and the officers at Northern Station are taking it very seriously.

Sgt. Luke Martin says this: “As far as robberies go, we’ve had a slight uptick. Robberies are sporadic and seem to be unrelated. Their MOs are different.”

Sergeant Martin says there are crime patterns in the Marina that include auto burglaries, breaking into homes, and stealing people’s mail.
But the pistol-whipping incident shows a disturbing level of violence.

High technology sometimes works on the side of law enforcement, as it did in this case. According to Sergeant Martin, a woman on Chestnut and Fillmore was assaulted, and robbed of her cell phone around 2 a.m. That cell phone allowed the police to track down the suspects by tracing the phone’s GPS signal. It involved a dramatic car chase over the Carquinez Strait. The perpetrators thought it was a joyride, but the joy quickly ended for the suspects who terrified and traumatized that woman in the Marina.

As Capt. Ann Mannix reports, “We got them.”

“Don’t think we’re not paying attention,” says Captain Mannix. “We have a lot of undercover officers out there. We’re looking for suspects who are casing the local businesses. Not to worry, we’re watching them closely. Just be vigilant, pay attention, and look out for your neighbors. Watch out for the people who have an unnatural interest in your business.”

What is disturbing, of course, is the trend for increased viciousness in the nature of these robberies. Weapons seem to play a larger role in crimes these days. Does that make people in the Marina unsettled?

“What do you think?” asked a merchant who asked not to be identified. “We think we’re scared, [but] we love this neighborhood so much. Most of us do not know what’s going on.”

It seems that the hardworking people at the Northern Police Station do and are paying attention.