Capt. Sharon Ferrigno: Police Beat

Richmond officers promoted
In late February, I was lucky enough to attend a promotional ceremony for three members of Richmond Station. Chief Greg Suhr gave an inspirational speech about leadership and the role these men and women will play in our city's future. As many officers prepare to retire, the baton is being passed on to the next generation. I look forward to working with these talented and visionary leaders. Never before has the police department had such an educated and diverse work force, which is certain to carve out a new and brighter future.

With that education comes expertise and vision which we will certainly need as we fill the ranks of the talented officers who have served in the SF Police Depart­ment and are poised to leave in June. To showcase some of the talent we need only consider the terrific arrests members of Richmond Station made in late February.

Officer Andrew Johnson arrested a fugitive sex offender from Georgia. Johnson detained a man who was riding his bike on the sidewalk and used his knowledge of the law, coupled with the set of circumstances, to realize something was amiss. A record check revealed that the fugitive had escaped from Georgia. He has been remanded to the custody of U.S. marshalls and is on his way back to Georgia.

As well, Richmond Station investigators left no stone unturned in their search for a bank robber from the 5200 block of Geary Boulevard. That subject was arrested in the East Bay based upon the intensive investigative leads our team was able to provide our local partners.

Captain's Message - Feb. 22
Back on Aug. 30 a residential burglary occurred on the unit block of Emerson Street. The suspect had left his cell phone behind and Richmond Station inspectors followed up and determined the owner of the phone. He was located in the county jail, where he was being detained for another residential burglary.

The suspect was charged with the burglary from Emerson Street as well.

Captain's Message - Feb. 15
The weather is beautiful and there are a lot of fun events in our district this week. Notably, the San Francisco Girls Chorus will be singing Happy Birthday to Pierre the Penguin at the California Academy of Sciences. Pierre celebrates his 30th birthday on Saturday, Feb. 16. Happy birthday Pierre!

The San Francisco Unified School District is unveiling a new program called Shared School Yards.

Schools participating in this project will open their schoolyards to their neighborhood communities on Saturdays and Sundays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The participating schools in the Richmond District are Dr. William Cobb Elementary, 2725 California St.; and Claire Lilienthal Alternative, at 3950 Sacramento St.

With the lovely weather comes many more visitors, friends and neighbors out enjoying the sunshine. Please remember not to leave your valuables in your car. Citywide car break-ins continue to occur. Please join us in being part of the solution and make sure that there is nothing of value in your vehicle.

Captain's Message - Feb. 8
Richmond Station has been conducting traffic enforcement operations along our busier corridors.
We will be citing drivers and pedestrians in an effort to keep everyone safe. Drivers, please slow down for pedestrians, and pedestrians please use crosswalks and pay attention to motorists.

We have launched a safety campaign along with our partners at Safety Awareness for Everyone (SAFE) to ring in the Chinese New Year. Gung Hay Fat Choy!

For additional information on crime statistics, go to the SFPD's website at sf-police.org.

The Richmond Station distributes an e-mail newsletter every Friday to several hundred e-mail addresses. It contains information about recent crimes, arrests and upcoming events in the district. To be added to this list, please e-mail us at [email protected].

Capt. Sharon Ferrigno is the commanding officer at the Richmond Station.