Friday, April 18, 2014

Apr. 14, 2014

Incident Date:
Monday, April 14th, 2014
                                                                                                                            

The next community meeting at Ingleside Station will be held on May 20, 2014.  Thank you.

                         Sunnydale
                        Gardening Project Easter Egg Hunt and Candy Carnival

*You are invited to the Urban Sprouts Garden Project from 10:00a.m to 1:00p.m on Saturday, April 19, 2014. Please meet at Hahn and Sunnydale Avenue. Then from 1:00p.m to 3:30p.m is the Easter Egg Hunt and the Candy Carnival. There will be Eggs, Candy, a jumper, Hot dogs and Hamburgers. Come one, come all and enjoy the festivities. Questions? (415) 724-4892




Fraud Alert: We have noticed a dramatic rise in a specific type of fraud case over the past four week period.

A person calling San Francisco residents identifying himself as a San Francisco deputy sheriff tells victims that he called regarding some sort of violation unknown by the victim and required money immediately to remedy the situation.  For example, on numerous occasions, the “deputy” stated he worked in the warrants division and required several hundred dollars from residents to clear up old warrants or else another deputy would arrive at the residents’ address to arrest them.  The “deputy” required victims to go to a local drug store, such as CVS, Walgreen’s, etc. to obtain a GreenDot MoneyPak (a pre-paid debit card used for in-store or online purchases) and load the card with several hundred to several thousand dollars.  The “deputy” told residents to call back once they obtain the pre-paid debit card, scratch off the gray box to reveal the access codes then read the code to the “deputy” over the telephone.

As time went on over the past four weeks, we noticed that the amount “required” by the “deputy” increased from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousands of dollars.  As the caller tested the local response, he became more confident in this scam.

We have also received similar reports with the caller identifying himself as an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The “FBI agent” states that victims need to send him pre-paid debit card information via telephone or else victims will be placed under arrest.

Related to these crime, but with a much wider scope, are people identifying themselves as Internal Revenue Service employees.  These “employees” claim that victims owed massive sums of money in back taxes and required immediate funds – again, through use of pre-paid debit cards – to remedy the situation or face immediate arrest.  In one instance, the “IRS employee” required the victim to purchase an $8000 Reload it pre-paid debit card and provide the card’s access information via telephone.

These are all illegal confidence schemes.  The callers are confidence men, better known as con artists.

If you receive any such solicitations via telephone, please do your best to note the phone number used, time of day, the name the caller identifies him/herself as, and anything distinguishable about his or her voice.

Be advised that neither the Sheriff’s Department nor federal government solicit funds related to criminal justice matters via telephone calls and any outreach regarding such matters would be made in person or through post office correspondence.

If you feel that you were the victim of such scams, please contact the police immediately.  While being duped out of money by fear of arrest can be embarrassing to admit, this is happening to your families, friends and neighbors.  Do not be a silent victim.

Our Fraud unit is aware of – and investigating – this ongoing scam.  The Fraud unit can be reached at 415-553-1521 Monday thru Friday during normal business hours.

Please contact the police at 415-553-0123 if you have received a phone call from such a con artist.  You can also contact the Federal Trade Commission for IRS-related scams at http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.


The San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) is free training from the San Francisco Fire Department in how to help yourself and your neighbors prepare for and respond to a disaster by working together. The 20-hour training, taught by First Responders, includes personal preparedness, light search and rescue, disaster medicine, shutting off your utilities, and how to participate as a member of a neighborhood response team.  NERT also offers continuing training for graduates and activities that support building robust neighborhood teams.  For more information, visit the NERT website at http://sfgov.org//sffdnert, or contact Lt. Erica Arteseros at (415)970-2022 or sffdnert@sfgov.org

                                                  Ingleside District Nert Training
Lick Wilmerding HS
755 Ocean Ave

March 18, 6:30-10:00p: Class 1
March 25, 6:30-10:00p: Class 2
April 1, 6:30-9:30p: Class 3
April 8, 6:30p-10:00p: Class 4
school closed April 15
April 22, 6:30p-9:30p: Class 5
April 29, 6:30p-10:00p: Class 6




Are you someone who is interested in disaster preparedness and wants to help out your community while working hand in hand with law enforcement? Then the ALERT program is for you!    
                                
                                            What is the A.L.E.R.T. Program?

The San Francisco Police Department has developed a volunteer citizen disaster preparedness program. The Auxiliary Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) is modeled after and works in partnership with the San Francisco Fire Department's Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT). The ALERT program will train members of the public to assist law enforcement in essential tasks after a major disaster. Such tasks may include: traffic control, foot patrol of business and residential areas, and reporting criminal activity. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age and live, work, or attend high school in San Francisco.

Three steps to becoming an
A.L.E.R.T. volunteer:
1. Complete NERT training and receive certification. To register for NERT training courses please visit www.sfgov.org/sfnert
2. Once NERT certified, forward a copy of your NERT ID card to the ALERT program. sfpdalert@sfov.org
3. After clearing a basic background check the individual is eligible to register for ALERT training.

The next training class has been scheduled for May 3rd, 2014, from 8:00am – 5:00pm. This class will be held at the San Francisco Police Academy, in the parking lot bungalow.

Weather Related Crime Alert:  Many residents are leaving their windows and doors open in an effort to keep cooler as the temperature increases during these nice sunny days. Be extra careful, especially when you leave your home, paying attention to secure the windows and doors when you leave. Burglars are always looking for the easiest way inside your home. Don’t give them the opportunity for the easy access. Make sure to secure these entry points and leave them locked when you are not around.

Crime Alert: As of the start of April ‘2014 there has been an increase in auto boostings in the Noe Valley, Glen Park and Bernal Heights Area. Ingleside officers have stepped up patrol in these areas but, we ask you that you do your part to prevent from being a victim. Take extra precautions to avoid a criminal from window-shopping inside your car. Never give them a reason to break into your car and steal your belongings. Try to park in a well lit area and always lock your doors and secure your windows. Never leave possessions in plain view and never leave important documents inside your car that contain personal information. Remember, if a criminal is unsuccessful and is not benefitting from his criminal activity, the thief will move on, thus making your neighborhood less of a target.


Arrests:

No Incidents to Report.


Serious Incidents:

11:25pm               Folsom/Alemany                     Robbery
A sister and her brother were walking along northbound on Folsom from Alemany Boulevard when they were attacked and robbed. The sister told Officers Garon-Fermo and Hauscarriague that she was walking ahead while her brother followed not too far behind. Suddenly, a suspect appeared and tried to grab her purse. The victim said she tried to hold on and struggled with the suspect, but was overpowered. The victim then yelled out for help. Her brother noticed what was occurring and ran up to assist. Another suspect appeared and immediately hit her brother in the back of the head with a pistol. The brother fell to the ground and was knocked unconscious. This second suspect then removed several items from the brother’s pockets and took an Iphone, wallet, $320 in cash and a foreign passport. Both suspects ran off and joined a third suspect who was at the corner acting as a lookout. The sister said she lost her purse containing $300 in cash and several other items. A search of the area revealed negative results. The brother was taken to a local hospital to treat the laceration he received during the attack. Report Number: 140311442.


Vehicle and Other Incidents:

  1:18am           Niagara/San Jose                      Hit and Run
  5:00am           Unit Blk Rome                          Fraud
  8:45am           Alemany/Palmetto                     Hit and Run
  9:20am           200 Blk Crescent                     Fraud
12:03pm           4900 Blk Mission                     Fraud
  3:08pm           500 Blk Oxford                        Recovered Vehicle
  6:00pm           100 Blk Delta                           Stolen Vehicle
  6:30pm           Paris/Geneva                            Battery
  8:29pm           Russia/Madrid                          Traffic Collision
  8:45pm           900 Blk Geneva                       Threats
11:00pm           2100 Blk Castro                       Battery


Burglaries with suspect description:

10:00am          200 Blk Seneca                      Burglary: Suspect #1;  Black male, approximately 5’8 in height, about 140 pounds.  Unknown hair or eye color.  Last seen wearing a Red shirt.  Taken was cash and a laptop computer.