Chebucto Regional Softball Club

@futurebird

We've got one group of ambassadors for a neighborhood of about 10k people. It's the downtown entertainment district. There's talk about expanding to three groups in other dense, business, or higher crime areas. Each group is roughly 5.

That expansion would make a 4000:1 population to ambassador ratio. So New York would need 2000-2500 total, about 400 of those being supervisors who know the area well.

They need to be visible, lightly armed, and willing to talk and help; rather than confront and escalate.

It's true community policing. Walking around, not driving through.

It would be a hard model to do in NYC, or any large metro. It'd be great, but hard to implement.

@futurebird

Not a crier, he doesn't have a bell and yell stupid things like "All's Well." when they obviously aren't.

Beaufort and his crew of ambassadors walk / golf cart around downtown most nights, with more when there's an event going on.
They guide tourists to safe (free!) parking, advise about restaurants suitable for your group, tell you what events are coming up, and walk little old ladies across the street to the theatre.

They also generally keep the peace in a way that most cops don't. I've seen them talk down a belligerent drunk, walk him outside and get him an Uber home...along with a card with numbers for several free therapy options.

They have a radio, baton, and a tazer; no body armor, no gun. In 15 years I've seen a baton come out once. It was used on an arm with a knife, not on a head.

@futurebird

North Little Rock, AR. Nothing on the street. But phone and charging available in the library (when open), and all the bars/cafés have charging with no questions asked.

City information is a large gentleman named Beaufort, who is officially a cop, but whose title is Ambassador. He and his crew also provide golf cart rides to people who need to get around downtown if they're mobility impaired or if the weather is bad.