SAN FRANCISCO The San Francisco Police Department is urging local restaurateurs to adopt specific precautions against the so-called takeover robberies that have beset operators across the bay in Oakland.
The safety advice includes scheduling two employees for each opening and closing; not removing trash from the restaurant after dark; installing video surveillance systems and alarms; being alert to loitering customers; and keeping a minimum of cash on hand. The four-page advisory has been posted on the department’s website.
In Oakland, police have tried in vain to halt a rash of takeover robberies, so called because the armed perpetrators take over the establishment. Usually they rob employees and patrons as well as taking the restaurant’s cash.