Pacific Palisades SLO Brian Espin Hosts ‘Hike With A Cop’

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

In an effort to be accessible to the community, Pacific Palisades Senior Lead Officer Brian Espin hosted Hike With A Cop, where 25 participants gathered in Will Rogers State Historic Park on Sunday, July 31, for a meet, greet and hike with LAPD officers.

There were six officers at the event, with five LAPD Cadets, which Espin described as a “brisk walk.” The hike began at 9 a.m., with Espin on hand at the location beginning at 8 a.m. to speak with members of the community.

“A lot of them were Palisadian residents,” Espin said of those who participated in Sunday’s hike, “and just had general questions about what’s going on in the area.”

Espin led those who showed up on Inspiration Point, which is just over two miles and “very moderate, nothing crazy.” There were about nine adults and six kids that joined the hike, according to Espin.

“I personally wanted to do the Topanga seven-mile loop,” Espin said ahead of the hike, but he joked that fellow officers were not up for it. The shorter, easier hike may have been the better route this time, as Espin said the weather was hot in the beginning.

“We had no breeze,” Espin said of the start. “The last part of it got a little overcast and it started to cool down. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful view.”

During the course of the hike, Espin answered questions about crime prevention tips, including burglaries and burglary/theft from vehicles. He referred to information provided in weekly crime updates, where he encouraged residents to get a security system that gives an instant notification if someone is on the property.

Also in the crime report, Espin said to “secure (lock) your house and vehicles, and do not leave valuables in your vehicle.” He also suggested to be aware of surroundings, with most crimes being deterred by acknowledging those around, as most criminals don’t want to be noticed.

“We’re doing better than we were last year,” Espin shared during the July 28 Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting. “Even though I know the rumor mill of ‘there’s not enough police,’—I agree, there’s not enough of us out there, especially in the Palisades—but we are still doing pretty well.”

He attributed that, in part, to the community itself.

“You guys are doing awesome out there,” Espin shared, “being super vigilant, letting me know, letting all the other officers know what’s going on in the area so that we can try and jump on it earlier than finding out weeks later what’s going on.”

Espin shared plans with the Palisadian-Post of hosting additional hikes throughout the year, trying to have them in different areas of the Palisades. He said he is taking suggestions of easy to moderate hikes for everybody that the group can do.

For those who missed the hike—or want to join again—Espin is hosting Coffee With A Cop on Sunday, August 7, at 9 a.m. at Estate Coffee, located at 847 Via De La Paz. He shared that there is no agenda for the event, just a “casual conversation and Q&A with LAPD West SLOs.”