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Close Encounters February 2021

February 1, 2021
SFPOA

We can finally close out the year 2020 — one of the deadliest for law enforcement according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. We lost a total of 326 law enforcement officers, 70 alone to the Covid 19 virus. The second highest cause of death was gunfire that killed 50. And the average age of those officers killed was 49 with, approximately, 18 years on patrol.


Just another day at the office . . .

On 12/31/2020, The below listed Mission Officers responded to the area of 14th St. and Mission St. on the report of a male subject walking around holding a knife and talking to himself. Upon arrival, Officer Benjamin Shih, Officer Brayan Lopez, Officer Robert Wheeler, and Officer Jeremy Morgan determined that the subject was armed with a knife that had a five-inch blade. The subject appeared to be under the influence of narcotics and was in an altered mental state. The subject was not responsive to Officers’ lawful orders to drop the knife. The Officers quickly worked to evacuate the immediate area of pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Officer Wheeler attempted to engage with the subject via dialogue in hopes of de-escalating the situation. While attempting de-escalation, Officers Matthew Wise, Officer Lopez, Officer Antonio Aguilar and Officer Jose Rosales-Renteria used the placement of their vehicles to provide time and distance between the subject and themselves. 3C11A responded to assist with the incident and Officers Robert Dermake and Officer Yaraslov Shablinskiy assisted by filling a containment hole on the inner perimeter and provided additional less lethal capabilities.

Additional units that included Officer Laura Zasly, Officer Ari Smith-Russack, Officer John Ching, Officer Steven Coligan, Officer Billy Baker, Officer Jason Acosta, Officer Miguel Cortez, Officer Francis Cooke, Officer Jesse Rivera, and Officer Andrew Reggi responded to the scene and aided in clearing pedestrians and vehicular traffic from the area in order to protect them from this incident. The increased safe area around the incident allowed Officers on the inner perimeter more time and distance and discretion in their decision making. A plan was formulated to keep the subject contained in this protected area and to render aid to the subject should his self-inflicted injuries cause him to become immobile. The subject stated multiple times throughout the incident that he wanted to die and asked Officers to kill him. The subject started to slowly move in the direction of Officer Wheeler and Officer Morgan with the knife still in his hands. Officer Morgan deployed his ERIW less lethal bean bag projectile at the subject causing him to stop. Officer Rosales also deployed his ERIW less lethal bean bag projectile at the subject causing him to fall to the ground and drop the knife. The launching of the ERIW less lethal bean bags was in coordination with a previously set plan that the subject’s actions initiated. Officer Wheeler, Officer Morgan, Officer Kevin Gomez and Officer Carson Schilling also quickly acted to take the subject into custody without further incident.

Once the subject was taken into custody Officers immediately began to render aid, secure the scene, and relayed that it was safe for the paramedics to respond to assess the subject. The subject was transported to SFGH where he was treated for his injuries and a 5150 W&I hold was placed on him.


Officer Sean Dennis and Officer Ronald Quock were dispatched to a robbery that had just occurred at Lincoln Way and 6thAvenue. Seems that a woman was walking on Lincoln Way at approximately 8:30 a.m. pushing her young daughter in a stroller while holding her cellphone. The suspect walked directly into the woman’s path and blocked her every time she tried to go around him. He then screamed at her telling her that she, “can’t use the cellphone because it’s evil and dangerous.” (Like he wasn’t…) The victim finally placed the phone on the ground at the suspect’s direction at which time he took it and tried to escape into Golden Gate Park. And that’s when Officer Dennis and Officer Quock arrived. The suspect was detained and arrested after the officers finished their investigation. The suspect was obviously homeless and living in the park. But that does not qualify him to rob people who pay his way.

We’re still trying to figure out when The City was turned over to the homeless…They’re free to post their tents anywhere they please, defecate in any doorway they choose, purchase and use drugs without penalty, and there’s probably 15-20 non-profit organizations who are allegedly helping them to no avail.

Welcome to the new San Francisco. We liked the old one much better.