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GPS

Dispatch system would help solve S.F. cab hassles

As most people who have tried it know: Catching a cab in San Francisco is not simple. There is no centralized dispatch service and far too few taxi stands, and wildly waving one’s arm for taxis on the street is hardly useful — although often good exercise. Read More

SFPD misses target in another officer-involved shooting

Reports of an armed robbery early Monday led to a bizarre incident in which five people were arrested after an officer fired on a suspect in The City’s third police-involved shooting in six weeks. Read More

Mission district crackdown nets 31 arrests

A crime crackdown at the bustling intersection of 16th and Mission streets has netted 31 arrests since March 27, police said Friday.Most arrests were for narcotics and warrant violations, Mission Station police Capt. Bob Moser said on the station’s website.The intersection, home to BART station plazas, has been a playground for criminals for years. Read More

China Basin burglar tracked down by victim’s smartphone

A China Basin burglary was foiled Sunday after the victim helped police track his stolen laptop with his smartphone, police Officer Albie Esparza said.  The 32-year-old victim awoke at 5:50 a.m. when he heard footsteps coming from the rooftop deck of his home in the unit block of Clarence Place. He noticed that his office was in disarray and several items were missing, including his laptop, Esparza said. Read More

Woman shocked with stun gun, robbed of cellphone; cops use GPS to track suspect

A 26-year-old woman was shocked with a stun gun and robbed of her purse Thursday by a juvenile suspect, cops said. The purse thief was thwarted, however, by GPS tracking technology on a smartphone that was in the victim’s bag.The woman was walking home from work in the 1600 block of Post St. around 11 p.m. when the suspect shocked her in the neck and stole her belongings, police said Friday. Read More

Opportunistic thief steals property from unlocked car in Presidio Heights

An unlocked car in Presidio Heights was fun times for a crook, who scored a GPS, $50 in cash, two gift cards and $300 in charges on an ATM card, police said.The robbery occurred overnight sometime between 3 p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. Wednesday, the car owner told police. The car was parked in the unit block of Locust Street.The police department’s Richmond Station reported the theft on its Twitter account on Wednesday. Read More

Woman’s purse stolen from her car at City College of San Francisco parking lot

A woman who left her purse in the front seat of her car told police she was surprised that the car was broken into at the City College of San Francisco.The woman left her purse on the front seat of the car, which was parking in a campus parking lot around 9 a.m. Wednesday, police said. “To the victim’s surprise, when she returned she saw that her passenger window was broken and her purse and GPS were missing,” police said. Read More

Tracking device leads police to suspected iPhone thieves

Getty Images file photo
Modern technology may have outsmarted two alleged robbers when the iPhone they are accused of stealing had a tracking device that led to their arrests.The two men in their early 20s pleaded not guilty Tuesday to robbing a 41-year-old man of his laptop and iPhone after a scuffle near the corner of Van Ness Avenue and Oak Street around 10 a.m. Friday, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Read More

Daily Outrage: Trusting GPS too much traps couple in snowbound Oregon forest

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WHO: John Rhoads and Starry Bush-Rhoads of Reno, Nev. Read More

Live departure, arrival times coming to Caltrain

Examiner file photo
Caltrain passengers soon will have access to up-to-the-minute arrival and departure times — something BART and Muni riders already enjoy — at stations and potentially on hand-held devices. Starting in spring 2011, the regional transit agency will feature on all platforms visual message signs connected to a GPS device that will alert passengers to when trains are arriving and departing. Caltrain currently lacks the technology. Read More
URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/taxonomy/term/6163