Safety ambassadors patrol busy Fishtown, Kensington streets
Their routes are the most populated areas throughout Fishtown, including the Girard corridor.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- They're an extra set of eyes and ears patrolling the growing Fishtown and Kensington business districts.
Since its inception last month, community leaders and businesses say it's made a difference in petty and violent crimes.
"Our ambassadors are locals, residents and community members who have a stake in what we do here, know the residents, know the lay of the land," said Scott Nistico, owner of Grayman, security director for Fishtown/ Kensington Business Improvement District.
They walk the streets in pairs, or sometimes in teams of four to six.
Their routes are the most populated areas throughout Fishtown, including the Girard corridor.
The ambassadors are CPR certified and armed with Narcan.
Fishtown safety ambassadors do not carry weapons or restraints.
"We always want to be ahead of the curve, we don't want to wait for things to get bad as unfortunately, it is in other parts of the city," said Marc Collazzo, executive director at Fishtown/ Kensington Area Business Improvement District.
Right now, there is a weekday and weekend evening shift.
The goal is to expand the number of safety ambassadors and the hours they patrol.
