Summer is here and more people are out – which means more opportunists are out. Opportunist criminals are walking around our neighborhoods looking for easy opportunities to steal our stuff. They look for the open garages, see the unlocked bikes or other valuables, and steal them. They walk behind the person totally engrossed in some application on their iPhone, grab it out of their hand, and run off. The victim can’t even identify the suspect because he or she doesn’t get a good look. They walk along Gough Street or Franklin Street looking into parked cars for valuables and break into the car with the MacBook Pro on the back seat.

Leave your GPS and it’s gone. Leave your wallet or purse (as many do) and it’s gone. They stand real close to you while you are on Muni and remove your wallet, then manage to charge up your credit cards before you realize your wallet is even missing. They steal the contents of your purse or wallet you leave hanging on your seat while visiting the local (crowded) bar, even though you only left it unattended for a minute. They steal your smart phone that you leave sitting on the table while you are eating.

I continue to read each and every one of these examples daily in police reports. Tell your friends: be a little smarter when you are out and pay attention to your surroundings. Protect or conceal your valuables whether in your home, in your car, or on your person.

On another note, it seems that we, as a police department, have received an increasing number of requests for things and services completely unrelated to criminal matters. I speculate that the public, in general, may be at a loss as to whom they should contact regarding general government matters. I want to tell you about, or remind you, that 3-1-1 is the San Francisco Customer Service Center. They operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The City and County of San Francisco established 3-1-1 to provide an easy-to-remember telephone number that connects residents, businesses and visitors to customer service representatives ready to help with general government information and services. I have used this service many times and found it to be the one-stop number to handle a myriad of questions or complaints. They will even take a cold police report (for a limited number of crimes) over the phone. So I would encourage you, your family and friends to use this vital service, especially when at a loss as to where to start in your search for an answer. Visit their website for further information at www.sfgov.org/311.

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