Officers and detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire Division held an informal gathering in front of the Park La Brea Activities Center on May 8 to introduce themselves to community members and listen to concerns.

Senior Lead Officers Hebel Rodriguez (left), Perry Jones and Geoffrey Taff met with community members at Park La Brea on May 8 to discuss crime prevention and hear concerns. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The event was part of a series of similar gatherings in neighborhoods throughout the division aimed at building community partnerships and reducing crime, said Senior Lead Officer Perry Jones, a community liaison for Park La Brea and the surrounding neighborhood. Officers brought a mobile command center RV to the event and held a roll call for officers on the night shift.

Jones said property crimes are the biggest problem in the area, and he warned people about the importance of keeping doors and windows closed and vehicles locked. Motorists leaving valuables visible inside parked vehicles is one of the main contributors to property crime. Jones reiterated the importance of keeping valuables out of sight and stressed the department’s “Lock It, Hide It, Keep It” slogan.

“It’s property crimes, it’s crimes of opportunity,” Jones said. “[The number of incidents] could be less if people locked their doors and put their stuff away.”

Sgt. A.J. Kirby said the department’s community gatherings serve as a deterrent to crime and let residents to meet the officers serving their neighborhoods. The Wilshire Division plans to hold five or six similar events every month.

“It gives them an opportunity to ask questions and find out what we are doing,” Kirby said. “A lot of it is just prevention.”