{"id":10251,"date":"2017-04-12T19:27:04","date_gmt":"2017-04-13T02:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.taraval.org\/?p=10251"},"modified":"2017-05-02T12:30:35","modified_gmt":"2017-05-02T19:30:35","slug":"captains-message-april-12-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taraval.org\/?p=10251","title":{"rendered":"Captain\u2019s Message April 12, 2017\u5206\u5c40\u5c40\u9577\u4fe1\u606f2017\u5e744\u670812\u65e5"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The members of Taraval Station have been working very hard as we continue to see calls for services increased, violence in the OMI, growing concerns over burglaries (residential and auto) and quality of life issues for neighborhoods being impacted by the growing homeless issue. As the commanding officer of Taraval Station, I receive many emails. I am thankful to the residents who take the time to voice your concerns and I take each one to heart. Please know that we share the concerns that are impacting our community.\u00a0 We know many of you are frustrated and at times, we also\u00a0share those frustrations. As a district, we face many challenges and we set out every day to meet those challenges despite setbacks. Communication with our community is one of our biggest assets as we strive for success in our role to protect and serve the Taraval District.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Last week, I attended four meetings that all acted as opportunities to engage with the community and discuss attainable solutions to strengthen the safety of our neighborhoods. First, I met with the management staff at Park Merced to discuss the crime trends we are seeing on their residential properties. The most common is burglary and many of the cases are a result of opportunity when a resident fails to lock their door and secure their home. Due to Park Merced\u2019s close proximity to SFSU, many of the residents are students who often view the property as a \u201cdorm setting\u201d. We know\u00a0that\u00a0burglars look for opportunities to victimize residents. Often suspects will check doors until they find one that is unlocked. Once they do, they quietly enter the residence where a laptop is usually in plain view. Then they steal the laptop and flee the residence without being detected. Every resident, no matter where you live, should always secure you home both when you leave and when you are home. I often encourage residents to leave a note on the interior of the door as a reminder to lock the door. This can be incredibly helpful when multiple roommates are sharing a living space. Thank you to Chris Brinker of Park Merced and Chief of Police Jason Wu of SFSU for working in partnership with Taraval to reduce crime and improve the quality of life for residents.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My next meeting was held later that evening at the Minnie Lovie Ward Rec Ctr. in the OMI. The turnout for this meeting was tremendous as our community desperately wants to reduce the incidents of violence. As BOS Safai facilitated the meeting, the community had the chance to hear from Chief Bill Scott, Asst. Chief Toney Chaplin and myself. For me, the greatest take away from these community meetings is to listen to the voices of the residents. Community members offered vital perspective, called out for the community to be active in solutions and discussed how our community can become stronger against violence when we are working in collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The OMI-NIA is an active community group in the neighborhood. In my opinion, one of the best recommendations for identifying attainable solutions was from a community member. She recommended the formation of committees to focus on specific solutions and goals. If the committees can fall under the established OMI-NIA model it will allow for follow up discussions in order to sustain momentum in our solutions. Another great recommendation by a community member was the need to have planned events in which residents could share food and drink, are entertained by music and get a chance to really know each other as neighbors. I believe that is a great idea that can be followed through with a committee to organize an \u201cAfternoon with Your Neighbor\u201d event. The city has also committed to placing cameras within the neighborhoods in an effort to prevent crime. That is another area in which a committee can be formed to work in partnership with the city to see that project through and message to the community with updates and\u00a0progress of the project.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All of these great suggestions offered by the community can become a reality by simply becoming involved. As the Captain of Taraval Station, I would be happy to work in partnership with OMI-NIA to increase community participation and to work in organizing committees. SFSafe (Safety Awareness for Everyone) can also be utilized to form neighborhood watch groups. Maybe a few residents are willing to be block captains to organize the block where you reside. Also, I know the SFPD Community Engagement Division, under the leadership of Commander David Lazar would have many recommendations on how ties amongst residents can be strengthened. Please take the time to consider playing an active role in solutions for our community.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The next evening, I had the pleasure of attending my monthly meeting with the Taraval Community Policing Advisory Board (CPAB). In these times when members of Taraval face daily challenges and successes, I am incredibly grateful for the support of my CPAB members who volunteer their time. They work in partnership with us as we examine ways on how we can be better than we were the day before. On this evening, we continued to discuss issues and concerns that were being voiced across the district. The Taraval CPAB will also be hosting Officer Appreciation Day for Taraval members on May 18th. This day is always a wonderful time for the officers and the CPAB members! This year the SF Police Credit Union will be an active participant also. Thank you in advance to all the CPAB member and the SFPCU!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finally, on Thursday, April 6, I met with the board of the Outer Sunset Merchant\u2019s Association. It was a robust conversation in which myself and the board discussed the issues along the Irving St. corridor. At the top of their concern was the impact of homelessness on the corridor and the visible presence of the uniformed officers. I believe the meeting was a success as we gained understanding of each other\u2019s views on crime and quality of life issues along the corridor. Thank you to the Outer Sunset Merchant\u2019s Association for taking the time to meet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In the Taraval District we are still experiencing a crew of suspects who are targeting homes of Chinese residents. The most recent occurred on the 300 block of Garfield and the suspects were interrupted by the victim prior to making entry into the home. This series of burglaries has occurred in the Taraval and Ingleside district and is currently being investigated by the SFPD Special Investigation\u2019s Division. Two weeks ago, the SID team made a great arrest on the 300 block of Pacheco and we believe these suspects are connected to this active crew. Unfortunately, we believe there are many members to this active crew and SID is exhausting all investigative leads. In an analysis of the burglaries, it was revealed 80 percent of the victims were from the Chinese community. We believe the suspects are looking for external indicators to identify possible victim locations. If you are a Chinese resident, we ask you take steps to lessen the likelihood of your home being targeted. Here are some recommendations from our partners at SFSafe:<\/span><\/p>\n