Olympia's Ambassadors Program to transition to walking Crisis Response Unit

Olympia's Ambassadors Program is transitioning to the Crisis Response Unit (CRU) effective January 2024, Economic Development Director Mike Reid announced at Wednesday's Parking and Business Improvement Area (PBIA) Board meeting.

Reid noted they had seen the program often responding to situations requiring crisis response assistance. He said the ambassadors' interactions involved dealing with people who needed crisis intervention.

"Having our ambassador operating outside of our Crisis Response team without [the same] training, without access to radio and other tools necessary when doing that work was creating some risks and challenges," Reid said, adding that the program will be integrated into the CRU next year.

While the city is initiating a transition and getting crisis responders hired and trained, Reid said they would enter a temporary contract with the Olympia Downtown Alliance (ODA) to expand the guide program from two to four guides to give additional coverage to downtown.

In his previous presentation at the Community Livability and Public Safety (CLPS) in June, Reid informed the public of the program's current status. He said they had not been terminated, but the two ambassadors were no longer available as both pursued and secured new positions within the city.

Reid said the city is assessing the program before hiring new staff.

At the PBIA meeting, Deputy Chief of Administrative Services Shelby Parker provided more program details once it transitioned into walking CRU.

She said two additional CRU members will be dedicated to patrolling downtown on foot.

"These two members will be on foot downtown. They won't be responsible for the rest of the city like the CRU. They won't be in a vehicle patrolling," Parker clarified. She added that the new CRU members will be highly visible, wearing bright teal jackets.

Their duty hours will be Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., which would best serve and support downtown businesses during those busy periods.

Unlike ambassadors, crisis responders will have patrol radios to communicate with law enforcement. Law enforcement will be able to respond if needed quickly.

Parker reiterated that the walking crisis responders' role is to actively engage and assist anyone appearing to need help, including people experiencing homelessness or crisis.

Businesses and the public can contact them by calling 911 in emergencies or the non-emergency number, which Shelby offered to provide.

Like the ambassadors, Parker added, the crisis responders will build relationships with downtown businesses so they know who to contact for assistance.

In addressing one of the challenges, Reid said the ambassadors reported to him as the program is under the Economic Development. However, he admitted that his background and expertise are not aligned with crisis management.

According to Reid, it is in the staff's best interest to have a supervisor who has experience in crisis management. That will ensure that the staff receives the necessary support and that their skills align with the system they work in.