Alliance Honors Security Officers Who Go Above and Beyond the Call
The Downtown Alliance continued a decades-long tradition on March 5 by honoring members of its Public Safety program who have rendered conspicuous service in the last year. In a ceremony held at Giardino d’Oro on Gold Street, Alliance president Jessica Lappin observed, “through blizzards and heatwaves, and everything in between, our public safety team is made up of the friendly faces that greet residents, workers and visitors in Lower Manhattan and help to keep the neighborhood safe every single day. This group of honorees represents the courage and integrity that our city is known for.”
This year’s honorees included Security Officer Victor Garcia, who, on August 9, was assisting with morning drop-off operations for Hawthorne Country Day School at 233 Broadway. As a school bus was unloading students, a special-needs child broke away from their paraprofessional and ran into oncoming traffic on Barclay Street. Officer Garcia pulled the child to safety moments before an oncoming vehicle could have made contact. Following this close call, the Downtown Alliance established a collaborative program with Hawthorne Country Day School, allowing students to shadow members of two of its specialized divisions (Public Safety and Information Services) to learn workplace skills in preparation for graduation.
Mr. Garcia was also honored, along with Security Officer Nathan Turner, for an incident near Bowling Green Park, when they were approached by a frantic woman reporting that her three-year-old son was missing. The woman said that she and her child were visiting from Washington, D.C., and were unfamiliar with the area. Officer Turner immediately contacted Alliance dispatch, who notified 911, providing the child’s description and last known location. Rather than waiting for 911 to arrive, Mr. Turner and Mr. Garcia began canvassing the area. In front of 39 Broadway, they observed a child matching the description provided by the mother, and soon reunited the two.
Supervisor Shawn Soto, along with Security Officers Jennifer Rios, Ronald Washington, and Destiny Pena observed a 39-year-old woman lying on the ground in front of One Liberty Plaza, experiencing severe abdominal pain, on October 17. Ms. Rios radioed Alliance dispatch to request a 911 response and additional support. After approximately ten minutes with no EMS arrival, Mr. Soto directed Mr. Washington to proceed to FDNY Ladder 10 on Liberty Street to request immediate assistance. FDNY personnel rendered aid until EMS arrived, and transported the woman to New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital.
On October 28, Officer James Paige was stopped by a confused elderly driver who told him that she had gotten lost in New Jersey while driving to church and somehow ended up in Lower Manhattan. Seeing that she was disoriented, Mr. Paige asked if there was a relative he could summon to help her. The woman gave him a contact number for her niece, who agreed to come, and Officer Paige remained with the woman until her niece arrived.
The Downtown Alliance’s team of 50-plus security personnel, recognizable in their bright red uniforms, operates in close collaboration with the Police Department’s First Precinct. Additionally, the Alliance and its Public Safety Officers partner with the Bowery Residents Committee to assist with homeless outreach. They also undergo a level of training that some area residents might find surprising. Several have attended multi-week programs provided by the New York Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In the nearly 20 years that the Alliance has been fielding Public Safety Officers, crime in Lower Manhattan has dropped considerably, even as the residential population has nearly doubled. The group’s mission has also changed with the times. Today, in addition to counterterrorism training, the Alliance’s public safety team is coached on providing Lower Manhattan’s millions of annual tourists with directions, district maps, and recommendations on local attractions. But they also respond as a unit to grave crises, such as 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, when eight officers remained at their posts and on duty for 72 consecutive hours, providing crucial on-the-ground updates in real time about weather conditions, street closures, and flood impacts in Lower Manhattan.
The mission of the Downtown Alliance is to enhance Lower Manhattan for businesses, residents, and visitors. Along with providing security and trash pickup, the Alliance operates the business improvement district, or BID, for the area south of Chambers Street. Among the services provided by the Alliance that Lower Manhattan residents especially prize is the Downtown Connection shuttle, which ferries passengers free of charge between 36 local stops that link residential areas neighborhoods with business and shopping districts seven days a week.