"the best of Atherton" police log

By Ssusan Steade | ssteade@bayareanewsgroup.com
https://www.mercurynews.com/2011/08/27/the-best-of-atherton-police-blotter

Atherton police officers (as reported in this article on the department) routinely respond to “resident concerns” that would be a low priority in many other departments. Among the incidents reported in 2010 and 2011:

• Police assisted a man who got trapped on a balcony when the door closed behind him.
• A resident hired a locksmith who hadn’t returned with the key.
• A person sitting in a vehicle outside a residence was waiting for a friend who lives there.
• A man was reported to be sitting down and talking to himself. Police made contact and confirmed he was using a cellphone.
• A large statue was stolen.
• A resident worried that a noisy hawk in a tree was in distress. When authorities arrived, the hawk was quiet and enjoying dinner.
• Four or five juveniles were reported to be running around at Selby Lane School and involved in “horseplay” on a summer afternoon.
• A resident asked for help finding a lost cat.
• A woman whose finger got stuck in a drain was reported to be conscious and breathing.
• A pedestrian was reported after midnight wearing black pants and a white dress shirt.
• A woman told police someone rang her doorbell but when she called out to ask who it was, no one answered. Police responded and determined the visitor had delivered a package.
• A resident called police to report that someone had tipped over his recycling containers.
• A man was reported to be lying on the ground, possibly writing.
• A person reported a man tried to hide his face, then turned and walked away.
• Police responding to reports of a suspicious person hollering “ho-ho-ho” on Christmas Eve encountered a man in a Santa costume who makes a habit of going up and down the street greeting his neighbors every year.
• Police assisted an Atherton man in a San Francisco bar who forgot where he was and called 9-1-1.
• A person seen walking at midday for two days in a row was contacted and determined to be using lunch breaks to get some exercise.
• Fruit has been disappearing from a tree.
• Loud birds were reported. Police responded and settled the situation.
• A resident reported two people came to the door seeking someone who spoke French.
• A banana, chocolate and whipping cream were found on a vehicle.
• A male truck driver wearing gloves reportedly made a U-turn and then stared at a person.
• A family reported being followed by a duck who resides on Tuscaloosa Avenue.
• And an all-time favorite, from 2002:
• A resident reported a large light in the sky. It was the moon.