Promoting Safety Through Collaboration, Heightened Visibility, and Ongoing Monitoring
Together with the City of Cleveland and Mayor Justin Bibb, Destination Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Partnership, and Cuyahoga County, we are proud to support Mayor Bibb's plan to reimagine Downtown Cleveland into an 18-hour, 15-minute neighborhood that weaves districts and surrounding neighborhoods into a seamless urban fabric. The goal is to attract modern economic activity and provide a world-class experience for all who work, live, and play Downtown. In the Reimagining Downtown blog series, we will provide regular updates on our progress in implementing the plan and dive deeper into specific programs that move us toward our goals.
Goal: Innovate to ensure everyone feels safe Downtown
One of the tactics we committed to in Reimagining Downtown is:
Increase visible, uniformed presence, with emphasis on our unarmed Neighborhood Safety Specialists. Expanding the partnership between Downtown Cleveland and the Cleveland Police Department to increase capacity for co-deployment so that police response is accompanied by the Crisis Intervention Team and followed up with case management where needed.
Status: In Progress
Downtown Cleveland’s Neighborhood Safety Specialists provide an additional uniformed presence to de-escalate and deter conflict. We deploy Neighborhood Safety Specialists seven days a week throughout Downtown Cleveland. They are trained to de-escalate aggressive behavior, must have a security and hospitality background, and possess strong communication skills. They add a visible, uniformed presence to Downtown's streets and public spaces.
In response to an uptick in late-night criminal activity this summer, Downtown Cleveland extended the Neighborhood Safety Specialists’ hours until 3:30am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
Just last week, Downtown Cleveland was awarded $25,000 in funding from the Cuyahoga Country District 3 APRA Community Grant Fund for our Safety Specialists. Introduced and sponsored by Council Marty Sweeney and Yvonne Conwell, the funding passed with ease. We look forward to putting these funds towards enhancing safety services Downtown and are grateful for the support of County Council.
To promote further partnership with the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP), Downtown Cleveland opened a Deployment Center in Tower City, which on and off duty police officers and Ambassadors use as an office and hub. The deployment center serves as a safe haven to those facing danger or in crisis and heightens visibility.
Downtown Cleveland convenes a monthly safety and security meeting with Downtown business owners, property owners, and other community members. Senior Vice President for Operations Ed Eckart co-chairs this meeting with Third District Commander Robert Tucker. We also provide safety-focused Lunch & Learn sessions for Downtown businesses, distribute BOLOs (“Be On the Look Out” notices), and gather crime statistics from CDP to inform Ambassador deployment throughout the district.
This summer, we launched a new Downtown Court Watch program to assist in holding chronic Downtown offenders responsible for their impact on the community. Where necessary, we advocate for individuals to be assigned to the Mental Health Docket to access proper treatment and services instead of going through criminal processing. Each individual’s court docket is monitored, and Downtown Cleveland staff attend pertinent court hearings to advocate on behalf of the community. The goal is to prevent repeat criminal offenses and help those in need access services.
Continued collaboration with community and public safety partners allows us to leverage our resources to advance the Reimagining Downtown Cleveland Plan. Building a clean, safe, and welcoming environment encourages economic growth and a vibrant experience in our city’s core.
Click here to read the full Reimagining Downtown Plan.