A new program in Indianapolis, IN, highlights downtown as a safe area while also educating the public about safety and who to contact with questions and concerns.Downtown Indy collaborated with the city’s police department to create safety cards that highlight the joint actions of the two organizations, as well as providing phone numbers for non-emergencies and contact information for a panhandling unit trained to connect the homeless with needed services.
The goal, says Kimberly Evans, the Police Department’s community relations officer for the downtown district is to, “be able to physically hand somebody something so that if they have questions or concerns, security issues, or want to ask an officer something, they have our number. It’s a great little piece of information that we have to offer community members. We also get a lot of visitors here. We want to make sure they know we are here, visible, and that they can get in contact with us.”
A similar safety card would be effective in any community, says Bettye Dobkins, director of safety and security at Downtown Indy. Partnering with local law enforcement to develop the content and ensure maximum distribution is key.
The full article appeared in our print edition. To always get the full story, read Downtown Idea Exchange.