. >>> more states are now joining san francisco district attorney george gascon's push to prevent smart phone users from theft. it will make it harder for thieves to scratch model numbers off phones and then sell them in the black market. 1.5million were victims of smart phone theft in 2012. >>> these couples tell us why they decided to >>> san francisco's police chief has launched an investigation into an attack on a homeless person after seeing video of a crime on a ktvu newscast. we first aired the video last week. a man is seen repeatedly stomping on the head of a homeless person who was just sleeping on the sidewalk. no one reported a crime but police officers did respond to check on the victim. greg suhr said once he saw the video he felt it was compelling enough to open an investigation even though officers have not located the victim. >> we started again inner in -- in ernest as soon as we saw your video. the detectived started working it back ward. filed a john doe report. >> reporter: a viewer said he recognized the attacker and district attorney george gascon is also asking a

. >>> more states are now joining san francisco district attorney george gascon's push to prevent smart phone users from theft. it will make it harder for thieves to scratch model numbers off phones and then sell them in the black market. 1.5million were victims of smart phone theft in 2012. >>> these couples tell us why they decided to tie the knot on 11/12/13. >>> how video we showed you last week has spurred police into action. at farmers, we make you smarter about insurance. because what you don't know, can hurt you. what if you didn't know that posting your travel plans online may attract burglars? [woman] off to hawaii! what if you didn't know that as the price of gold rises, so should the coverage on your jewelry? [prospector] ahh! what if you didn't know that kitty litter can help you out of a slippery situation? the more you know, the better you can plan for what's ahead. talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum - bum♪ avo: thesales event "sis back. drive" which means it's never been easier to get a new 2014 jetta. i

. >> let me ask our law enforcement officials, mirkarimi and george gascÓn, do you agree with professorsimon? could we have a system that didn't like to the likelihood of reoffense or what the charge is or looked whether or not someone is coming back to court. >> go ahead. >> yes, i was referencing earlier there has to be stakeholders all the page. and for the sheriff department to reclassify and allow someone to be released, pretrialed, supervi supervised and that's high majority of the time. but if there was criteria charged and not just based on discretion of the sheriff or the district attorney. but the criteria to reconfigure and acknowledge so it's a part of law in the city and county of san francisco. that to me affirms our commitment to what this experiment would look like. to make a product of the discretionary act by those elected. so goes with that experiment the tentativeness of what this commitment would actually be. why is why -- which is why i would like to see what the mayor's office and board of supervisors to look at those forms of discipline and what they look like to

courtesy of george gascone. use a credit card. stick to web sites you trust. watch out for deals that sound too good to be truchlt importantly watch out for yourselves. be aware of your surroundings. >> just use common sense. just make sure i'm parked in a safe area. >> yes. good to be aware of the situation. right? this may be common sense but all of us can use reminders to have a happy holiday. >> some former workers are speaking about, out about wall mrt's staffing at stores with 1 million workers on thanksgiving day. >> christmas shopping is done. >> the company's commercials are everywhere. you've probably seen them, not everyone likes it. abc7 news is live tonight in san jose with more on this. david? >> there is no question, retailers quick to point out there are six fewer shopping days this year, almost a full week, so for walmart and other retailers every day counts, including thanksgiving. this walmart will open at 6:00 a.m thanksgiving morning staying open 36 hours through midnight on black friday. a former asocietiesit says employees won't dare cal

stop open topvo blanca ---mientras que el fiscal de san francisco, george gascon, advierte a los residentesucion durante la epoca de compras navidenas que esta a punto de comenzar.. ---sobre todo se recomienda cuidar su telefono movil y siempre estar alerta de los sitios donde camine... ---gascon dice que muchos delitos y accidentes se pueden prevenir simplemente si las personas ponen mas atencion... cesar ---hoy comparecio ante un tribunal del condado de alameda, take vo el adolescente acusado de prenderle fuego al joven "luke fleischman", mientras la victima dormia en un autobus de la agencia "ac transit" en oakland... ---el abogado de richard thomas, disputa la decision de la fiscalia del condado de querer enjuiciar a thomas como un adulto ya que consideran que el delito, considerado grave, fue motivado por el odio ya que al momento del incidente fleischman vestia una falda y ademas se considera asexuado... blanca ---un hombre de richmond ha sido detenido bajo acusaciones de prostituir a una adolescente de 15 aÑos... take vo ---robert lee huff de 25 aÑos fue detenido el domingo pasado lu

topvo cesar ---mientras que el fiscal de san francisco, george gascon, advierte a los residentes a tenera epoca de compras navidenas que esta a punto de comenzar.. ---sobre todo se recomienda cuidar su telefono movil y siempre estar alerta de los sitios donde camine... ---gascon dice que muchos delitos y accidentes se pueden prevenir simplemente si las personas ponen mas atencion... blanca ---faltan tan solo 2 dias para que inicien las ventas del "black friday" ---este aÑo, muchos negocios abrirn sus puertas el jueves para aumentar sus ganancias. pitch - cesar ---si usted planea aventurarse a los centros comerciales, marlen sosa, le tiene algunas recomendaciones para encontrar las mejores ofertas.. take pkg 0:01 pkg stop open blanca ---hoy compareci ante un tribunal del condado de alameda, el adolescente acusado de prenderle fuego al joven "luke fleischman"... take vo ...mientras la victima dormia en un autobus de la agencia "ac transit" en oakland. ---el abogado de richard thomas, disputa la decision de la fiscalia del condado de querer enjuiciarlo como un adulto pues consideran que el

george gascon asked small companies to come up with a way to deactivate stolen phones. but they are refusing an offer by samsung to load the phones with antitheft software. it is concerned about storm tracker risk that hackers could disable someone's phone using that software. >>> new at 6:00, a scathing report says fire safety infections in the oakland hills east bay hills are not being carried out as they should be. >> i have never seen anything like it! >> new rules requiring people to cut back on branches around their homes -- for clearing vegetation. a faulty data base for keeping track of violators and lots of inspectors were taken down the part time. why budget cuts are putting the city at risk of another fire storm. >> reporter: on a rainy gloomy day, wild fire is not on the mind, but ask long time oakland hill residents about 1991. that changes. >> we went to my grandmother's house because we were afraid our house might burn down. >> my god, i have never seen anything like it! >> reporter: she remembers the fire that burned down homes and camed 25 people. the c

. >> reporter: george gascon is calls on witnesses to help police find the suspect in this video. to hold the attacker responsible and to prevent him from hurting anyone else. >> people believe that they can get away with this kind of behavior. clearly this man assaulted this individual then walked away like nothing happened. >> reporter: under normal circumstances you need a victim, suspect or witnesses to have an investigation. but today police and prosecutors told us that the video is so powerful it was enough to start the ball rolling. reporting live in san francisco, patti lee, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the oakland teenager facing hate crime charges for allegedly setting fire to another teen on an ac transit bus was back in court today. 16-year-old richard thomas made a brief appearance but did not enter a plea. his family was in court as a judge put an attorney of record on the case. thomas is accused of using a lighter to set the skirt of 18- year-old sasha fleishman on fire last week. fleishman remains hospitalized with second and third degree burns. thomas is being charged

district attorney george gascon has been pushing for manufacturers to install kill switches that would written der stolen phones inoperable. >>> what makes some people want to wait in line and fight the crowds to shop black friday when they could shop any other day? >> reporter: on your mark, get set, go! [ cheers & applause ] >> reporter: black friday has turned shopping into a contact sport. >> i think there's an element of competitive sport shopping that's really attractive to people. >> reporter: kit yarrow is a consumer psychologist. she says black friday shopping is like a football game. [ cheers & applause ] >> reporter: it releases testosterone and gets our competitive juices flowing. >> it's even more important than scoring the deal, which is important, is actually winning, beating one to get that amazing deal. >> reporter: but those door- busting deals can also trigger something called autonomic nervous system arousal. that's the fight or flight reaction you get if you encountered a growling bear, causing someone to react and run. fortunately, most black friday shoppers aren'

. >> reporter: san francisco district attorney george gascon along with new york's attorney general say the solution is a kill switch, which would disable a stolen phone making it worthless to thieves. but law enforcement sources tell cbs news when manufacturers like samsung made smartphones with a kill switch earlier this year, the five major wireless carriers -- at&t, verizon, t-mobile, sprint and u.s. cellular -- would not support it. in these emails obtained by cbs news, an industry executive who was involved in the negotiations tells samsung that they have received responses from all five major u.s. carriers and they have all denied our preload in their image. meaning the major carriers refuse to sell a smartphone with a free kill switch built in. gascon suspects that's because it would cut into big profits the phone companies make selling anti-theft insurance and replacement phones. >> we're talking about a $60 billion a year industry and about a half of that seems to be attached to the replacement of phones that are being stolen so we're talking about a lot of money here. >> repo

with the holiday season rapidly approaching, san francisco's district attorney george gascon d.a wants to remind shoppers of some simple tips to keep them safe. tips you have probably heard before it's sounds like common scene, but how many shoppers follow these tips. to find out i hit the streets of walnut creek. >> reporter: and what i found were several shopping bags sitting in plain view, in the front seats of cars exactly what the da was warning shoppers about. katie lew ellyn knows just how important these tips are she had to learn the hard way >> cannot leave your valuables exposed in your car if you have these please take them with you or keep them locked in your truck truck. trunk. >> reporter:katie knows its always good to be reminded about how to keep things safe, even if it is as simple as locking your valuables in the trunk, and she says she will be keeping a very close eye out. >> reporter:gascon also taking about internet scams as well, he said on-line shoppers should always know the website they are buying from, and if they don't to do research before buying from the si

george gascon says he's been working with samsung to place the security.gascon say it is kill switch could end cell phone thefts. a cell phone representative says that the kill switch is not the answer. >>> and there's word that the oldest daughter of walt disney has died. she narrated a video about her father. the family said she died from complications from a fall back in september. diane disney miller was very active in bay area arts organizations. her funeral will be private. >>> thousands of dollars stolen from a bay area organization dedicated to helping children. >> plus -- >> take a look plenty of parkas and umbrellas here at at&t park. and we just learned this rain is impacting tonight's big outdoor concert. we >>> so back now to the storm watch and all the rain that's falling across most of the bay area right now. rosemary what are you tracking? >> we're tracking good rain and good rain amounts. i want to show you first storm tracker 2. notice to the north areas like santa rosa and parts of the north bay beginning to dry out. some of this rain be

george gascon says he's been working with samsung to place the security.gascon say it is kill switch could end cell phone thefts. a cell phone representative says that the kill switch is not the answer. >>> and there's word that the oldest daughter of walt disney has died. she narrated a video about her father. the family said she died from complications from a fall back in september. diane disney miller was very active in bay area arts organizations. her funeral will be private. >>> thousands of dollars stolen from a bay area organization dedicated to helping children. >> plus -- >> take a look plenty of parkas and umbrellas here at at&t park. and we just learned this rain is impacting tonight's big outdoor concert. we'll tell you about the adjustments being made. >>> the adjustments tonight. rosemary orozco will walk us through where the rain is hitting heaviest. i love watching tv outside. and why can you move the tv out here? the wireless receiver. i got that when i switched to u-verse. but why? because it's so much better than cable. it's got more hd

george gascon says at&t, verizon, sprint, t-mobile and u.s. cellular have all come out against a plan to install kill switches in mobile phones. gascons says he says they want to continue to shake down their customers for billions of dollars in theft insurance premiums. so while cell phone makers like samsung seem to be on board, the rest of the cell phone industry contends the kill switch could allow hackers to disable someone else's phone. one out of every three crimes in san francisco involves a cell phone. >>> the national highway traffic safety administration is launching an investigation into three battery fires involving tesla electric cars. the company's ceo says tesla itself requested this investigation to put safety concerns to rest. he is criticizing the extensive media coverage of the three tesla fires compared to the thousands of fires each year in gasoline-powered cars. since roadway debris is believed to have caused two of the fires, tesla says it has already sent a signal to all model s cars telling them to increase their groun

george gascon. the district attorney in san francisco where cell phone robberies are common. >> we're talking about $60 billion a year industry and about a half of that seems to be attached to the replacement of phones that are being stolen. >> the wireless association which represents service providers says it's working on alternatives to kill switches. >>> a bay area company is breaking stereotypes and urging girls to think differently. >> it is. betty yu shows us the cool new video aimed at getting young girls to swap dolls for hammers. ♪[ music ] >> reporter: move over, boys. girls are building something big and breaking down gender stereotypes along the way. ♪[ music ] >> reporter: in a new music video on youtube, oakland- based toy company goldieblox revamps the beastie boys song "girls." it wants to inspire them to think beyond princess dreams an dresses. >> they are inundated with princesses and dolls. and we're not trying to say that there's anything wrong with tha stuff but trying to showg

george gascon says the kill switch would render stolen or lost phones use less.aw enforcement says it would combat phone theft but hackers could disable phones using it potentially. >> we are talking about a $16 billion a year industry and about a half of that seems to be attached to the replacement of phones being stolen. >> the wireless association that represents service providers is working on alternatives to kill switches. >>> the senate plans to vote on an amendment to change how the military handles sexual assault cases stripping military commanders of the authority to prosecute sex crimes and increase punishments for those convicted offenders but opponents in the military say these changes will make it worse for victims. >> there's a lot of pressure of course from the pentagon to oppose this reform. >> leaving these cases within the chain of command exacerbates the process of repeat victimization. >> an opposing amendment would keep the decision to prosecute in the hands of the commanders. the white house would not weigh in on the issue. >>> the clumsy ro

. >> so george gascon and sneiderman were after them to do something because 30% of that 40% here inhat apple did they built into the ios feature a kill switch. you can't use it nobody else can use it. basically, as the bad guys figure that out, there's going to be no reason to steal the new apple phone. >> it be s a paperweight. >> it does. and the other phone systems, if samsung was trying to use this feature and carriers resisted how can you get them to do it with apple. well, the android feature, with apple they make the phones. with android, it's a bunch of different phone makers. you really have to get to google who makes that operating system and have them built in the same thing. >> i'm not clear why the alternatives are not as good. >> it's clear that they're not as good because they put the onus on the phone owner. you have to go find your registry. and look in 1994 they broke into every car and stole every radio in new york. so the car thieves of the radio they said if you take the radio out of a car and the chip doesn't match, they stopped stealing radios. >> they could d

. >> george gascon released a statement that says -- >>> 7:48.y area are working hard right now to make sure families have a hot meal for thanksgiving. ktvu's pam cook is in the newsroom now with the reason why pam it's getting harder every year to help people who need help. >> yeah. this is a very special time of year for most of us. but a very tough time for fean families as well -- for many families as well. the number of people who need help has increased significantly in this last five years. the rescue mission in richmond will serve 20,000 meals this week alone. >> today is special because we're going to be handing out more than 850 thanksgiving food banks to desperately needy feales that truly have to make the choice between -- families that truly have to make the choice between paying the rent or buying food. >> i miss my grandma, my grandfather, my grandmother. everybody. a lot of people here, they are happy. and as long as you are smiling, i guess you are happy. >> now, there are charities all over the bay area helping out during this h