Downtown Partnership proposes 19-month "clean and safe" pilot to expand security, ambassadors and outreach

The Downtown Partnership on Monday asked City Council to support a 19-month downtown "clean and safe" pilot that would nearly triple supplemental security coverage, add hospitality ambassadors and fund dedicated outreach staff to respond immediately to people in need.

Pat Rigdon, director of downtown safety and public space management, and Chelsea Gondek, interim CEO of the Downtown Partnership, said disturbances, merchant requests for assistance and citations tied to sit/lie enforcement have increased since 2019 while recorded interactions with people experiencing homelessness decreased when supplemental security is present. "We want to be data-driven and human-centered," Rigdon said, adding the pilot is meant to test tactics locally and recommend a long-term approach if successful.

Pilot design calls for: expanded supplemental security shifts (covering early-morning sweeps at 6 a.m. through evening hours), two teams of two officers on…