With the holidays around the corner, when thefts tend to spike, the leadership at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station is taking its crime prevention message to the streets with the “Captain’s Walkabout”, a series of walks in which authorities gather input directly from the public.

Capt. Gary Honings (center) and public safety commissioner Desiree Sol met with an employee at Whole Foods Market during a previous “Captain’s Walkabout”. (photo courtesy of @WehoChris)

Capt. Gary Honings, who has been the commanding officer at the station for the past 18 months, said the walks bring community policing to the next level, and he hopes to meet as many people as possible.

The walks are held monthly, and the captain is joined by members of the city’s public safety commission and additional personnel from the station. Honings said the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station is the only station in the county conducting the walks.

“A lot of people say they’ve never met their chief of police before, or never met their service lieutenant,” Honings said. “They find out that we are just like them, and that we are all in this together.”

The captain held his November walk Wednesday evening on the city’s east side, and said the message this month is burglary prevention. While there hasn’t been a significant increase in burglaries, he wanted to impart the message that break-ins can occur anywhere at any time, and prevention is key.

“We pick a different topic every month based on crime concerns. We go out and do educational outreach for public safety,” Honings added. “It goes hand-in-hand with the community-based policing approach. We are engaging the community and coming up with solutions.”

Honings said the Captain’s Walkabout was particularly beneficial last summer, with the issue of pedestrian safety. He said he learned about specific concerns people have about crossing busy streets in West Hollywood, and the information helped police formulate a plan to address problems. Authorities also handed out information on crossing safety directly to pedestrians and motorists.

“We need to partner with the community,” Honings said. “It is something only a team can do.”

The group plans to canvass a different area of the city each month in an attempt to reach different segments of the population. The date for the Captain’s Walk in December has not been finalized, but Honings said he will focus on preventing vehicle thefts and burglaries.

He recounted a story about parking at a local supermarket, and seeing a vehicle in which a large package was visible. Honings said he waited for the motorist to return, and explained that leaving valuables in plain sight is tempting for thieves to commit a vehicle burglary.

“Our message in December is that it’s the holiday season, and you have to lock your vehicles, and lock your valuables in the trunk,” Honings said. “It’s cyclical during the holidays. People run in and out of stores, and they have to be extra vigilant about locking their automobiles.”

The captain added that he tries to impart the message that members of the public are often the first line of defense against crime, and that if they see something suspicious, it should be immediately reported to the sheriff’s department.

“Our best tool is the citizens themselves,” Honings added. “If you see something, say something. It works for all walks of life.”

For information on the Captain’s Walkabouts, call the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station at (310)855-8850.