Festivities are rapidly approaching! Chinese New Year is a major celebration all over the world. San Francisco is celebrating the Lunar New Year with our City’s world-famous parade – the largest in the United States.

The marking of the new year brings fireworks, parades, bright lights and the excitement and hope of a fresh start. We are eager to celebrate the Year of the Dragon, Gung Hay Fat Choy!

It’s difficult to think of a better place to enjoy San Francisco and the optimism of a new year than our Richmond neighborhood. While we aren’t without struggle, our community is made up of people who come together, roll up their sleeves and leave challenges in the rear-view mirror. It is an honor to work with all of Richmond Station serving our community.

Safety has been top-of-mind for some in our community. We wanted to let you know that immediate responses to (and follow up investigations of) crimes and emergency requests are the SFPD’s top priority. We at Richmond Station wanted to forward proactive information to you, so you can stay informed and share this information with your friends, family and neighbors.

Be A Part Of It – Get Involved!

Richmond Station officers work hard to protect the neighborhood, and we would like to encourage you to be an active participant in helping keep the Richmond District safe. Here are some ways you can connect with other community members and the SFPD to help create a safer city for us all:

• Start or join a neighborhood watch group.

• Attend our in-person community meetings and connect with neighbors and the community (fourth Thursday of every month at 5 p.m., call Richmond Police Station for location information: 415-666-8000).

• Subscribe to city agency newsletters and social media to stay connected.

• If you see something, say something.

If You See Something, Say Something

Suspicious activity is any observed and articulable behavior that could indicate a crime-related incident has been committed or is about to be committed. Articulable means you can express, explain or describe objective observations to our dispatchers and/or officers that lead you to believe a person violated (or is about to violate) a law or regulation. Race, gender, religion, socio-economic status, style of dress, choice of hairstyle, etc. should never be a factor in classifying someone as suspicious. Some examples of suspicious activity:

• Individual(s) peering into vehicles.

• Individual(s) trying door handles to vehicles and/or residences to gain access.

• Individual(s) following delivery trucks to see where the truck is dropping off packages.

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, nor absolute confirmation of a crime, we hope these examples will assist you should you ever need to call the police. Please call 9-1-1 for an emergency response, and 415-553-0123 for a non-emergency response.

Be Part of SFPD – Join Our Team

San Francisco is a world-class city with a world-class police department. Across our incredible 49 square miles, whether we’re on foot patrol, bicycle patrol, on mobile patrol in a radio car, investigating crimes, responding to emergencies or leading classes on public safety, we’re committed to every effort that will increase safety in our community. We welcome prospective recruits who desire to serve and protect the City of San Francisco and its people under the principles of law, justice and a commitment to providing safety with respect for all.

• Text “JoinSFPD” to 415-704-3688 to apply today.

• For more information, go to sanfranciscopolice.org/your-sfpd/careers/sworn-job-openings.

• Contact SFPD’s Recruitment Unit at 415-837-7270 or joinsfpd@sfgov.org.

Captain Chris Canning is the commanding officer at SFPD’s Richmond Station. He can be reached at 415-666-8000 or chris.canning@sfgov.org.