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'Ambassadors' to watch activity in downtown, help out visitors, police
By Phil Trexler
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Thursday, Jan 15, 2009
Akron's men and women in blue are about to get a hand, or at least the eyes and ears of men and women in lime.
Six days a week, the brightly dressed nine-member safety ambassadors will walk or bike around downtown, offering help to visitors and workers while keeping a watch for unsavory characters, panhandlers and those who loiter.
The ambassadors are the result of a new safety collaboration between the Downtown Akron Partnership and the Metro Regional Transit Authority. The two groups will share the program's $360,000 annual cost, including ambassador wages.
Their work begins Sunday with the opening of Metro's transfer station at Broadway and Bartges Street on downtown's south side.
Business and city leaders say downtown's 42 blocks make up one of Summit County's safest neighborhoods and the number of workers has doubled in the past 14 years to more than 31,000 people.
However, city officials say some perceive downtown streets as unsafe.
The reputation only grew with two recent downtown purse snatchings that garnered publicity.
The lime-shirted group had three members when it began trolling downtown in 2000. Their job was to smile and greet visitors, offering directions or other assistance while picking up trash and weeds on the side.
Six workers are being added to continue those duties, but also to keep a watch on crime and make reports to Akron police during later hours and on weekends.
Ambassadors will also be available to escort pedestrians to their cars or buses.
''By working together with the Akron Police Department, private building security companies, business and property owners, this initiative will be a crucial step in preventing crimes,'' said Kimberlee McKee, president of the downtown business owners group.
The ambassadors are being trained in first aid, public relations, safety issues and conflict management and intervention. They are also responsible for collecting litter, removing graffiti and other aesthetic tasks.
Ambassadors will have a phone line to Akron police and the cell phone numbers of the department's downtown beat officers.
Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic said downtown development remains vital and that income generated from the investment helps the city afford programs and policing in its neighborhoods.
He said making downtown workers and visitors feel safe is essential as the city develops.
''You're less likely to be a victim of crime downtown than in other parts of the city; unfortunately, it's not always the perception,'' he said. ''We're attempting to do something here that will help the perception of safety and ease the concerns of residents as we attract more [people] downtown.''
Phil Trexler can be reached at 330-996-3717 or ptrexler@thebeaconjournal.com.
Akron's men and women in blue are about to get a hand, or at least the eyes and ears of men and women in lime.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Akron, OH
Posted 08:52 AM, 01/15/2009
Yea, the numbers of people accosted daily by bums and mugged in the muni parking lots would perceive downtown as unsafe.
Posted 08:56 AM, 01/15/2009
The bright clothing will make them easier to find after they are mauled by filthy bums.
Akron, Oh
Posted 01:07 PM, 01/15/2009
I feel more secure already.......YEAH RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!
Cuyahoga Falls, Oh
Posted 10:26 AM, 01/16/2009
Hm...Mayor Don is rebuked in his attempt to hire "part-time police officers" but the private business interests are allowed to hire attendants to roam the streets of downtown?
Once upon a time, some management-weenies at Ft. Dix, New Jersey, decided it would be cost effective for trainees to guard certain warehouses and depots on the base. Of course, they provided those walking guard duty with M-16 rifles but, wait..."they're only trainees, perhaps they shouldn't have any ammunition in their magazines."
Yeah, right! You wanna know how long it took someone to figure out they could rob the trainees of the M-16s? You wanna guess how many "incidents" it took the management-weenies before the situation was corrected?
Should Akron's newest "attendants" receive training more along the lines of Sliwa's Guardian Angels?
