Warner Robins police kick off 'Whistle for Walkers' program

WARNER ROBINS -- Officer Jeff McCommon was out early Friday morning at Fountain Park greeting walkers along the Wellston Trail.

"Would you like to have a whistle?" McCommon asked Michael Ande of Warner Robins, who was finishing up his regular 5-mile walk along the trail that stretches from Corder Road to Fountain Park.

"Sure," Ande replied.

McCommon told him the free whistles are part of a new safety initiative of the Warner Robins Police Department. A whistle might come in handy, for example, if Ande twisted his ankle. Ande could blow the whistle repeatedly for other walkers to come to his aid.

"I think it's a great idea," said Ande, who loops the popular, 1-mile trail until he reaches his 5 miles.

Ande, who's been walking the trail about seven years, said he's never had any problems.

"Generally, I would say it's a very safe walk," he said. "Everybody is always very cordial and friendly."

The "Whistles for Walkers" program already was in the works before a Sept. 13 assault of a woman along the trail, said Jennifer Parson, public information officer for Warner Robins police. The woman fought off the man, who was later arrested.

Neil Hammaker, 63, who lives about two blocks from the park and regularly walks the trail with a friend, is credited with coming up with the idea. He thinks the whistles are ideal to alert others in case someone falls or is attacked by a dog.

Hammaker was greeting people Friday morning and letting them know about the new whistle program.

Mike Cleary, who was in town visiting his mother-in-law, Shirley Dudzick, was among those Hammaker talked with. He called the program "outstanding."

For those who missed the 90-minute whistle giveaway Friday, Hammaker said people should look for him along the trail. He'll be wearing a white T-shirt with a "Whistles for Walkers" logo. He plans to pass out the whistles as long as supplies last.

Police bought about 250 whistles for the kickoff event. Parson said she hopes some businesses or civic organizations will offer buy additional whistles and donate them to the program. More than a 100 whistles were given out Friday morning, she said.

The blue, plastic whistles display "WRPD" and a silver shield on the side and are attached to an elastic band that can be worn around the wrist.

"When people go walking, especially alone, this is just one extra thing to keep them alert and to help them to alert (someone) if something were to go wrong," Parson said.

Parson said the whistles are not meant to be a substitute for taking other precautionary measures such as walking in pairs.

"By no means is this the only way to protect yourself, and we certainly don't want to promote that and encourage a false sense of safety just for this whistle because that's really not the focus here," Parson said. "It's just an extra step.

"We also want to promote walking with the buddy system, having a buddy with you, and being certainly aware of your surroundings wherever you are."

To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559, or find her on Twitter@becpurser.

This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 9:31 PM with the headline "Warner Robins police kick off 'Whistle for Walkers' program ."