Mission Station Update - Captain Steve Tacchini
Excerpted from Weekly Newsletter - 2/20/09
Over the last couple of weeks, there have been several street robberies in the Mission District. In response, the officers of Mission Station have made some outstanding arrests. It’s important to remember that one or two suspects, for any single incident, may be responsible for multiple previous incidents. This is particularly the case with robberies. Because of this, a single robbery arrest can significantly reduce the incidence of future robberies. I am confident that this is the case with these arrests.One recent case, in particular, stands out. Two suspects robbed two victims, demanding their valuables at shotgun-point. The suspects fled, but after officers responded, the victims observed the suspects on a different block. A separate set of officers secured the area and began a slow, methodical search of the block. One officer noticed a woman looking out her front window and sensed that something was wrong from the way she was looking at him. He knocked on her door and quietly asked if everything was alright. She responded by shaking her head and motioning toward the back of her house. The officers quickly entered the house, finding one of the suspects sitting in the living room. The suspect was taken into custody without incident, though he had warned the woman not to say anything to the police when they knocked on her door.
In this case, the suspect easily could have escaped but for the alert and perceptive officer who followed his instincts and pursued things just a little further. Even more important was the woman’s courage – looking out the window, making eye contact with the officer and, through non-verbal means, conveying a sense of fear and urgency.
This is just one example of the excellent work done on a daily basis by the officers of Mission Station. I am very proud of the work they do and you should be too!
-Captain Steve Tacchini
