- “Cincinnati’s Downtown Ambassadors Add Visible Layer Of Safety Amid Rising Crime Concerns.” For Spectrum News 1, Javari Burnett reports on city leaders “leaning on more than just police patrols to maintain a sense of security” downtown, with an expansion of the city’s successful safety ambassador team “which patrols the streets daily to help boost public safety” and “create a cleaner, safer, and more welcoming environment for residents, workers and visitors.”
The team of 85 full-time ambassadors, bolstered this summer with an expansion of 120 additional part-time ambassadors, receives “extensive training” and is outfitted in highly visible “bright green shirts” serving as eyes on the street through “public engagement, outreach, and late-night safety coverage” including regular check-ins with downtown businesses. One local jewelry store owner explained to the news station that the ambassador team “makes a visible and valuable difference…‘These guys have walkie talkies and they are literally here within three to five minutes after a phone call. They really help just give a presence to that ‘We care about downtown Cincinnati and keeping this place safe.’”
- “Tulsa Businesses Say Safety Has Improved Downtown” With Help From Ambassador Team. For Fox News in Tulsa, Jade Morrow reports on the new safety ambassador team that “isn’t just working to reduce crime, but also remove graffiti, power wash sidewalks, water plants, empty trashcans, check in with local businesses [and] decreasing the rate of homelessness downtown and across the city.” The safety ambassador team is part of a new investment in downtown Tulsa and small businesses in the region told the news channel they are seeing the results from the effort.
Claudia Ramos, an owner of a taco restaurant downtown, said that the ambassador team “always come by to check and see if we need anything, to see if we’re good… we’re thankful for this initiative and we hope that it keeps coming.” Joe Bear, a staff member at a hot dog stand in the area, said that “you can see and feel the effect of DTP’s work… ‘they have a lot more people checking in all of the businesses downtown now and it’s improving the business here…’”
- Seattle’s Safety Ambassadors “Tackle Crime, Disorder In Chinatown-International District.” For KOMO News, Joel Moreno reports on the safety ambassador team that launched this summer, and has added “a new layer of public safety” and serve as “boots on the ground … the eyes and ears of the neighborhood… responding to any issues that residents, visitors, businesses have.” The team patrols on foot through the downtown district and responds to calls for service “from residents and businesses in the area” and focuses on anything from “public safety to maintenance.” Tuyen Than, who oversees the Chinatown district, explained to the news station that the team helps to save law enforcement resources and can work to resolve crises rapidly because “they are already in the neighborhood, so they can respond to issues faster than a police officer.”
