Update: An earlier version of this post stated that the meeting was to be held tonight (January 6th). The meeting will be held next Tuesday, January 13th.
Park Police Station holds a community meeting on the second Tuesday of each month so residents can receive a briefing from district Captain Raj Vaswani. In a 1910 structure initially built for SFPD’s Mounted Unit that was also the target of a still-unsolved 1970 pipe bomb attack, Vaswani shares and solicits information about ongoing investigations, answers questions and spreads the word about new policing initiatives.
Park District patrols Upper Haight, Cole Valley, Duboce Park, a slice of the Castro, Twin Peaks and the Western Addition, but the Inner Sunset occupies little space in SFPD’s daily crime blotter. Now that plans are underway to redraw police districts, Park District may no longer encompass Western Addition, which could directly impact law-enforcement resources in the city's fog belt.
In December’s meeting, Vaswani discussed the ongoing investigation into the shooting of Michael Marquez in Duboce Triangle and detailed plans to step up uniformed patrols in shopping districts. He also shared alerts of recent scams by phony contractors and utility workers who defraud/burgle elderly residents.
According to SFPD CrimeMAPS, the most common crimes in the Inner Sunset over the last 60 days are disturbing the peace, car theft/break-ins, vandalism and burglary. With more vehicles, a higher rate of home ownership and a slightly older population than other areas served by the Park District, Inner Sunset crimes are more likely to be perpetrated against property than people.
Until the recent apprehension of the Chuck Taylor Robber, the last neighborhood mention in the SFPD’s citywide roundup was a hot-prowl vandalism on December 28th in which a victim left his garage open overnight to find that his vehicle had been defaced.
Monthly meetings provide context for how Park District is policed; using temporary assignees and rookies who are completing training, Vaswani beefed up the district’s day squad. He said he’s also instructed officers to do more foot patrols and be more vigilant about keeping an eye out for quality-of-life crimes like public drinking and urination.
“We don’t just drive past that,” said Vaswani. “We get out and let them know that’s not okay.” Vaswani said his station also monitors social media to stay abreast of what’s happening in his district.
At the last meeting, Vaswani answered a wide range of questions for more than an hour, addressing everything from Buena Vista Park policing strategies to how to properly execute a citizen’s arrest. If you’d like to ask Capt. Vaswani a specific question or learn about how he’s managing Park District, attend next Tuesday's community meeting at 6pm.
Park District Police Station is located at 1899 Waller St., north of Kezar Stadium; the meeting room is on the right side of the building.
