Right Now Downtown

At the Capital Crossroads Annual Meeting in November, Executive Director Cleve Ricksecker reported on one of the core missions of Capital Crossroads SID: safety.  CCSID continues to partner with the Columbus Division of Police to promote safety downtown.  The ongoing efforts of CCSID’s safety ambassadors include patrolling the district, observing their surroundings, notifying the police of any criminal activity, and reporting even minor offenses and disorder to the SID special duty police officers. Additionally, the reassuring presence of the ambassadors, combined with keeping the environment clean, help promote safety in the downtown core. 

This hard work has resulted in good news for downtown in 2009.  While comparing crime rates across precincts is not an exact science, using conservative estimates, the downtown Columbus precinct is now among the three safest in the city.  After experiencing a 37% decrease in crime from 2002 to 2008, there was a slight increase in 2009.  This was due primarily to an increase in car break-ins, a phenomenon which was true citywide.  Downtown’s increase in this type of crime was lower than the citywide average. 

“We remain grateful to the Columbus Division of Police for their excellent work,” said Ricksecker.  “They understand that law enforcement requires a variety of approaches and resources, and agree with the old English saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” 

Bike patrol officers are proactive in eliminating problems and preventing crimes, and the special duty officers hired by the SID supplements those efforts.  In addition, the SID’s Outreach Specialist, Alyson Poirier, helps the homeless and those with mental health or addiction issues by linking them with social services, which keeps them off the streets and from possibly contributing to safety issues. 

Finally, the SID uses its communications vehicles to remind residents, employees and visitors not to give to panhandlers and to be aware of the risk of leaving valuables in plain sight in a car.  

All these efforts combined contribute to a safer downtown.