Information for Neighbors
on
Reporting Problems with the Homeless
Resources and
Referrals for the Homeless and Hungry
If you see anyone committing illegal or dangerous
activities call the police immediately. Dial 911 for emergencies and 553-0123
for non-emergencies in
911 Emergency police dispatch how it works.
(Translators available for most languages.) All calls are divided into A, B or C categories. A & B calls are true emergency calls, C calls are transferred to non-emergency police dispatch. The response time of the police/ambulance/fire dept. depends on the A B or C category.
A calls are for immediate threat to life or property, violence, murder, robbery in progress, use of weapons, fire or medical emergency in progress. Police &c. will arrive within minutes.
B calls are for crimes that have just happened & there is still a chance to catch a suspect. Police will arrive in 10- 15 minutes depending on the number of backlogged calls.
C calls, see 553-0123 Non-emergency police dispatch: how it works, below.
(You will be asked by dispatch what telephone number you are calling from, to make sure it matches the number on their screen & in case the police need to call you. You may also be asked if you wish to talk to police when they arrive. If you do not wish to be seen talking, but do need to talk with the police [or they with you], you may request that the officer telephone you from the police car rather than come to your door.)
553-0123 Non-emergency police dispatch: how it works.
(Translators available for most languages.) This dispatch is for C category police calls, i.e. for quality of life situations & where there is no immediate threat to life or property (robberies committed yesterday [where police need to come & take a report], non-violent crimes, crack smoking, drug dealing on street, drinking alcohol on street, loud noise, barking dogs, &c.) If this is an ongoing problem, tell that to dispatch—police will be tougher. Police arrival for C calls can take as long as 2+ hours. (Note: much less for drug dealing on street.) Be sure to ask for a “cad” number (computer assisted data), so that you can call back after a reasonable time to find out what action was taken. Follow-ups are important. (For details on how police are dispatched & the various response times see 911 Emergency Police Dispatch: how it works, above.)
Quick
Resources:
Community
Board of SF
conflicts with neighbors, &c.).
MAP Dispatch: transportation to rehab facilities for homeless with appointments, 431-7400
For Mental Health Service – Access 888-246-3333
For Substance Abuse Treatment – TAP 800-750-2727
Battered Women Hotline (24 hours) 877-503-1850
Family Shelter Services 217-7330
Needle Exchange: For locations 905-9114
Foot Clinic at
Homeless Advocacy Project 575-3130
Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services 554-7111
Centralized Referral of Shelters 431-7400
Mayor’s Neighborhood Services
Abandoned Cars 553-9817
Building Inspection Info 558-6088
Bus Shelters (repair/clean) 882-4949
DPW Services 28-CLEAN
Garbage: to arrange free Norcal Pickup of oversized items 330-1300
Graffiti Hotline 241-WASH
Mobile Assistant Patrol (MAP) Homeless Outreach/Transportation 431-7400
Mobile Crisis Team (Mental Health) 255-3610
Muni Information 673-6864
Muni Complaint/Compliment 923-6164
Parking Enforcement 553-1200
Police (non-emergency) 553-0123
Potholes 695-2100
Rent Stabilization Board 252-4600
Street Construction Complaints 554-7222
Street Lighting 554-0730
Tree Problems 695-2162
Towed Cars 553-1235
Broken glass in bus shelters:
882-4949, “general message.” (MUNI’s hired bus shelter maintenance company.) Give them the location of the bus shelter. They will send their clean-up team & replace the glass.
Crime prevention:
SF
SAFE (
Drinking alcohol in public:
Call 553-0123 Non-emergency police dispatch. Drinking alcohol in public, i.e. on street, sidewalk or even porch steps is against the law ($77 fine). It is also against the law to carry an alcoholic beverage in an open container. Describe situation & persons to police dispatch. If this is an ongoing problem, tell that to dispatch. Police are tougher on an ongoing problem. If drinkers leave before police arrive, call 553-0123 & cancel dispatch. (See Drunks on street who are violent or may need medical attention & see Drunks on street who are non-violent or passed out or seem to need help, but who don’t seem to need medical attention)
Drug/crack houses:
how to close. Call Police Dept. Narcotics Division (ND), 970-3000, or call 1-800- CRACK-IT (1-800-272-2548), M-F 9am-7 pm, leave a message, & give location & description of problem. Information given to ND hotline is confidential (you do not have to give your name), & will be sent to the local police station nearest the address of the alleged drug house. (Note: Since ND forwards your complaint to the narcotics division of the local police station, a direct call to the station may work faster. For list of stations, see Police Stations) If ND is closed, you may call Nonemergency Police Dispatch, 553-0123, & ask that a uniformed police officer be dispatched to investigate the complaint. Similar methods used in closing a problem bar can also be used to close crack houses (see Crime Prevention)
Drug dealing/dealers on the street:
Call 553-0123 Nonemergency police dispatch. If persons sell narcotics on the street & there is no immediate threat to life or property, your call is a C dispatch call (for what is a C dispatch call, see p. 2. 553-0123 Nonemergency police dispatch: how it works). Describe alleged drug dealer to dispatcher (race, age, height, clothing), where dealing is taking place & where drugs are kept or hidden (in mouth, bushes, planter box &c.). Police will arrive when available. (Note: “petty” drug dealing on the street is hard to control; when police arrive, drug dealers throw drugs under car, into nearest bush &c. & therefore are not caught with illegal substances & not arrested. It is important to call, as police become aware of drug scene & can act to control it.) Drug dealers on the street are often drinking alcohol in public, & in this case police can cite for drinking in public. If police cannot arrest alleged drug dealers with drugs, this form of citing for drinking in public may help control drug dealers, since unpaid fines can result in a warrant.
Another Solution: Organize neighborhood walks & patrols & clean up the neighborhood. To find out how to do or join a neighborhood walk or patrol call the Police Dept. Liaison for Citizens on Patrol, Sgt. Julie Lynch, 553-7947 (M-F 6am-5pm). Sgt. Lynch can come to your neighborhood meetings & provide a 2 hour program on “making neighbors aware of what they can do about neighborhood problems,” including a training session on “describing & responding to alleged crimes while on patrol.” For use during patrols Sgt. Lynch can provide cellular phones for calling 911. (See Drug/crack houses: how to close, & see Drug use on street, & see Neighborhood Associations)
Drug use on street:
Drug use on the street can have side effects that impact a neighborhood—burglary to home or car, litter, noise, violence over drugs, over-doses &c. Call 553-0123 Non-emergency police dispatch. Drug use on the street is a C-type call (for explanation of C dispatch calls see, 553- 0123 Non-emergency police dispatch: how it works). Describe alleged drug user to dispatcher (race, age, height, clothing). Police usually come within 30 minutes. Note: To smoke crack takes 5 minutes & users will probably be gone by the time police arrive. The police know this & when they do come, will not see the alleged user & so may drive by without stopping. Hard drugs, such as heroin, take longer to “shoot up,” so police may be able to catch a suspect. (But it is rare that heroin is openly used; it is much safer to use it where no one can see you, i.e. in an abandoned building, overgrown vacant lot, side alley.) You may talk to police if you recognize a particular person or group, so police can keep an eye on them. (If you do not wish to be seen talking to the police, see Note C: under 911 Emergency police dispatch: how it works) Another reason there may be drug use on the street in your block may be the presence of nearby drug houses. Closing those drug houses will cut into the drug use on the street (see Drug/crack houses: how to close). The City seems incapable of dealing with “petty” drug use on the street. Getting rid of drug houses, putting motion detector lights around buildings, installing iron gates across side alleys, i.e. making your block unavailable for drug use, are some ways neighbors have dealt with this problem. Also, try contacting your local block club (or start one) to work out solutions & goals to the problem. (See Drug dealing/dealers on the street & see Drug/crack houses: how to close & see Neighborhood Associations)
Drunks on street who are violent or may need medical
attention:
911, emergency police dispatch.
Drunks on street who are non-violent or passed out or seem
to need help,
but who don’t seem to need medical attention: 431-7400, (anyday 24 hrs), Mobile Assistance Patrol (MAP). MAP provides a van for an intoxicated person who is nonviolent & not needing medical attention, to go voluntarily to a detox center. If the person does not want to go to a detox center, MAP will leave the person there & go on to the next call. If MAP determines that the person needs medical attention, MAP calls a paramedic van & waits until it arrives. If the person is violent, MAP calls the police & waits until they arrive. MAP staff are not trained medical personnel.
Graffiti on buildings, mailboxes, sidewalk, street or
traffic signs:
241-WASH
(241- 9274) (Graffiti Hotline voice mail), FAX 695-2019: Bureau of Street &
Environmental Services. Leave message stating your name, your return telephone
number & location of graffiti. They will come & paint out graffiti, but
may require owner’s permission. Note: To paint over graffiti, property
owners may fax written permission to the graffiti staff. (Note: Current backlog
is 3 weeks. Leave message after the beep anyway even if voice mail says,
“Grafitti hotline is not available.” Also
you may have to call more than once & if still no response, call 695-2017
(Dept. of Public Works, Street & Environmental Services), M-F 7:30am-3:30pm,
ask to speak to Grafitti Hotline staff, & explain
your situation.) For emergencies such as racist or obscene graffiti call
695-2020 (anyday 24 hrs). (See also Neighborhood
Cleanups) In some neighborhoods, graffiti is an ongoing problem & neighborhood
groups have asked the police to deal with it. Police can make sketches or take
photographs of graffiti, identify the perpetrators & order them to stop or
face prosecution. Note: In some cases different types of graffiti can be
removed by rubbing with a clean rag & one or more of the following ordinary
household supplies: alcohol, paint thinner, charcoal lighter fluid, acetone
(nail polish remover), ethyl acetate (nonacetone nail
polish remover), citrus peel cleaners or Ajax-type cleanser.
Graffiti on bus stops:
882-4949, “general message.” (MUNI’s hired bus stop maintenance company). Give them the location of the bus stop. They will send their graffiti removal team.
Homeless sleeping on sidewalk, driveways or porches:
431-7400, Mobile Assistance Patrol (MAP), Homeless Outreach Van (HOV). HOV hours are M-F 12:30pm- 8:30pm, Sat.-Sun. 3pm-11pm. Outside of these hours MAP provides the same service, but secondary to their “intoxicated person” services. (See Drunks on street who are non-violent or passed out or seem to need help, but who don’t seem to need medical attention) Note: A property owner or building manager may request “form MC25” at their local police station, to be posted on their building.
Neighborhood Associations:
Neighbors have formed associations, block clubs & park clubs to improve neighborhoods. Many of these neighborhood associations are listed in a database as part of the SF Public Library (SFPL) Catalog. To access them, go to the SFPL & use their online catalog. (This catalog is also accessible at www.sfpl.org .) In the catalog choose “Search Catalog.” Next window click on “Community Services Directory.” Then appears “Community Services Directory Search Options.” Click on “Keyword Search.” For the keyword search type “Neighborhood Improvement” which brings up access to 138 neighborhood associations SF SAFE is another group that assists neighborhoods with safety issues. Most local City police stations also have, in their community rooms, a once a month evening meeting for neighbors & the public to talk to the Station Captain & Officers about neighborhood concerns or complaints. Besides police, other City government officials often attend the meetings, as well as guest speakers. Call your local police station for meeting date & time. For walks & patrols to clean up your neighborhood, see reference to Sgt. Julie Lynch under Drug dealing/dealers on street.
Neighborhood Cleanups:
330- 1300, Sunset Scavenger (SS) has new neighborhood cleanup policies. For pick-up You must call SS & schedule an appointment. There is a 5 item limit on unwanted junk, furniture, large appliances &c. There is no limit on garden cuttings if they are less than 4 ft. long & paper-bagged (no plastic), cardboard-boxed or bundled. When you call SS will tell you the schedule for pick ups in your area, & to ask what items you intend to discard. They won’t take tires, car engines, pianos, construction materials at construction sites, paint or hazardous waste. You yourself must dump these items at the SS dump site on Tunnel Ave. Put junk out the night before & SS will pick it up next Mon.-Fri. morning & haul it away free. Only two pick-ups per year are allowed. Every Saturday 9 am-noon the San Francisco Clean City Coalition organizes neighborhood cleanup events for streets & neighborhood parks. Call 508-0050 to organize or volunteer, or for more info. Website: www.sfcleancity.com Dept. of Public Work’s (DPW) Adopt- A-Street program. Volunteer groups or individuals adopt a street or area & keep it clean. DPW provides free cleaning supplies. Occasional DPW assistance
Neighbors resolving a conflict:
920-3820; Community Boards of SF,
People hanging out on your front steps (i. e. noisy, dangerous or drinking alcohol/smoking crack):
553- 0123, non-emergency police dispatch. You can ask people not to hang out & to leave. If you do not want to confront them call the above number. Police usually arrive in 20-30 minutes & tell persons to move on. If person/s leave before police arrive, call 553-0123 & cancel dispatch.
Prostitution on street:
Sometimes
considered a victimless crime, but unregulated commerce on the street has side
effects that impact neighborhoods—violence by prostitutes, their pimps or
johns, drug abuse & drug dealing, noise, traffic problems & litter. Of
course if you see violence, drug use or drug dealing call
911, or 553-0123. You can curtail street prostitution directly by getting the
SF Vice Squad (VS) involved. The VS can put “decoys” (undercover
female police) on the street who pose as prostitutes,
& then arrest the johns. Decoy prostitutes scare off the johns, resulting
in no business for prostitutes in that area. Your local police station is the
one who gets the VS involved, so call your local station often & get your
neighbors to do so also. You may also contact the VS directly, 553- 1426, about
using undercover police decoys for your area. You can also deal with the
problem by calling Project SAGE (Standing Against
Global Exploitation—a group run by exprostitutes),
905-5050 (FAX 905-5054), about their outreach program that works with
prostitutes (mainly those already in the criminal-justice system), & tries
to get them off the streets. Project SAGE
Police Stations:
Web
site: www.sfgov.org/police . Site includes
various dept. telephone numbers, newsletter, job listings, crime
statistics. (Note: Sending a confidential FAX to a police station, where
anyone may read it, may not be a good idea; better to hand-deliver confidential
sealed letters to the station, addressed to the captain or to a particular
officer. Note: For important letters not addressed to the Captain, send a copy
to the Captain as well.)
Northern Station, 614-3400, FAX 614-3434; anonymous tip
line, 885- 5187;
Street cleaning:
695-2017; (emergency, 695-2020); Dept. of Public Works, Street & Environmental Services.
Trash illegally dumped on sidewalk or street:
695-2017, Street & Environmental Services, Dept. of Public Works. They will dispatch pick up of: illegally dumped furniture, appliances, household garbage, tires, paint, motor oil &c., usually within 24 hrs (anyday). If you know who is doing the dumping or have evidence from addresses found in the trash, state that you have evidence of illegal dumping. They will investigate.