ST. LOUIS – Greater St. Louis Inc. has launched the Downtown Public Safety Ambassadors Program in hopes of boosting safety in Downtown St. Louis.

The program is designed to provide a visible, unarmed security presence on the streets alongside police. Uniformed security guards will begin patrolling on foot, bicycle, and in marked vehicles throughout downtown.

“They need our community, our corporate partners, philanthropic, civic, faith community. Everybody has a role to play in making St. Louis safe,” Mayor Tishaura Jones said. “And we thanked Greater St. Louis Inc for stepping up and bringing the Downtown Ambassadors Program back.”

“While we know that the hard work and additional patrols of the SLMPD have helped reduce the rate of crime downtown, we also know that increasing public safety downtown with the ambassadors will add to the sense of security for everyone,” Kurt Weigle, Greater St. Louis Inc.’s chief downtown officer, said.

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FOX 2 spoke with Blues fans about how they felt about safety downtown.

“We rode the shuttle coming from Molly’s. I felt safe myself but definitely still gotta be careful out there in St. Louis,” Quinn Morris said.

“Cop cars. Feel good. Feel safe. Ready for a big win!” Buddy Dumpsey said.

These ambassadors will work-in-hand with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, adding an extra layer of security to the area. While there have been over 800 reported crimes across Downtown and Downtown West in 2024, crime is down 30% in Downtown and 21% in Downtown West.

“If we can make sure we can make things safer downtown, that also creates the jobs for everybody in the region. So, everybody benefits from that,” St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy said. “It’s not downtown versus other parts of the region. Downtown is the economic engine.”

Funding for the program is backed by Greater St. Louis Inc. Investors, who’ve pledged $5 million to support the initiative over the next three years.

The Downtown Public Safety Ambassadors will offer a range of services, including addressing minor ordinance violations and reporting them to the police when necessary, conducting business checks, providing hospitality assistance, offering safe walks for pedestrians, responding to medical emergencies, engaging in outreach efforts to support the unhoused.

To request assistance from the Downtown Public Safety Ambassadors, residents can call 314-978-2233.

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