Four residents and members of the Glen Park Patrol Special Safety Program attended the spring Glen Park Residents Meeting on Wednesday, January 15, and awarded a "Certificate of Appreciation" for one year of patrol service by Patrol Special Police Officer Calvin Wiley.

Wiley and his assistant officer, Jim Lane, provide daily, randomly-scheduled foot patrols throughout the heart of Glen Park. Wiley provides additional late night car patrols on the perimeter streets of Glen Park.

These privately-paid patrol services supplement SFPD officers and help prevent crime. Unlike a private security company, Wiley checks in daily to the Ingleside SFPD district station before he goes out on patrol in Glen Park and he also reports to Ingleside Captain David Lazar. He's on police radio bandwidth, uniformed, legally armed, and annually trained at the SFPD Police Academy according to standards set by the Police Chief.

Wiley was hired one year ago as a result of a grass roots effort in the neighborhood. Concerned about an evident rise of crime including car boosts, home breakins and violent personal crimes, a few residents dropped off 2000 surveys of interest at local homes and businesses to determine interest in hiring Wiley. Each person pledged what they could afford on a monthly basis to start a pilot program. During the year, additional subscribers joined the program enabling it to expand to a full seven days per week. The group hopes more will join in to expand patrols to eight hours per day this year.

"Everyone was very concerned about the notable upturn in crime a year ago, and various good ideas were discussed. However, we wanted to get additional security in place quickly. We knew that the SFPD could not provide dedicated foot patrol officers in Glen Park every day, and we suspected they would face attrition due to the direction the economy was taking at the time," said Grogan, a long-time resident and one of the original organizers.

"We noted beneficial results almost immediately. Officer Cal met with our steering committee almost every month, and reported incidents where potential crime was avoided at some of local markets and delis when he stopped in on patrol. He continues to report those kinds of results. That's what this program is all about," Grogan continued.

"If we prevent or reduce crime to begin with, then Captain Lazar at our Ingleside SFPD station can get on with law enforcement, and deploy his officers to handle more serious incidents," Grogan added.

At the Residents Association meeting, Captain Lazar recognized the service of Officer Wiley to the neighborhood, saying that the two police forces "supplement each other."

Officer Wiley has clearly restored a measure of calm to Glen Park. "That's in major part because of his cordial demeanor and friendly nature. People like to stop and chat with him, and then he can pass on recent safety alerts and general safety advice," says Grogan.

It's also a time for him to gather important security intelligence as he observes normal or unusual transactions, individuals, and traffic patterns in the Village. That's a familiar job for Wiley, who is a 38-year veteran officer of the Patrol Specials. "Glen Park is very special, and I'm happy to be working in such a friendly place," said Wiley.

"But we don't want to stop there," says Grogan. Several Glen Park residents re discussing the possibility of a self defense and safety awareness class in the near future taught by Ken Craig, leader of a non-profit international martial arts organization, "Now that our program is established, we'd like to do more. We hope to help others with their safety programs such as help distribute the excellent safety advice tip sheet the Glen Park Association safety committee published last year," Grogan said.

Patrol Specials also serve in other neighborhoods such as the Marina, Fisherman's Wharf, and in the Castro. Recently two Patrol Special Police officers were invited to present their program in the South Beach /Rincon Center area at the local Residents Association monthly meeting. Many in the overflow audience had not yet heard about the Patrol Specials, and expressed interest in hiring them.

A Subscription Agreement can be found in a program brochure posted throughout Glen Park, by calling Officer Cal Wiley (415) 794-6343, PO Box 31275 San Francisco, CA 94131 or by going online at: http://romantasy.com/SF/PatrolSurvey.html

Contact: Ann Grogan, J.D. inquiry@romantasy.com
Management Consultant
Member, Provisional Steering Committee for the Glen Park Patrol Special Safety Program
2912 Diamond St., Ste. 239, San Francisco, CA 94131
F.A.Q.: http://romantasy.com/SF/PatrolSpecialInformation.html

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