LA law enforcement ask public to be vigilant during holiday season

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- To be vigilant and engaged is the focus of Los Angeles law enforcement during this peak holiday travel rush, but they want to remind everyone there are no specific threats in Southern California.

Australia's car attack is just the latest example of terror focused on large crowds, and large crowds are a common occurrence in L.A. this time of year.

Representatives for the LAPD, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and the FBI held a joint news conference Friday to let the public know keeping the public safe is a shared responsibility.

That responsibility also requires the public's help. Officials said if someone is going to uncover a terror attack, it most likely won't be a member of the law enforcement community.

"It's probably going to be someone in a regular residential community who's going to notice something suspicious," said Deputy Chief Horace Frank of the LAPD Counter Terrorism Unit. "They're the ones that are living in the communities, they know their communities best. They know what's out of the ordinary."