UC Deploys Safety Ambassadors to Assist Neighborhood Security

Beginning Monday, March 3, the University of Cincinnati will deploy a team of Block By Block Safety Ambassadors in the neighborhoods adjacent to the UC campus. 

“The UC Ambassadors are part of a number strategies being implemented to enhance public safety on and off campus,”  said, UC interim Public Safety Director Robert Ambach. “The purpose is not to replace additional police patrols, which have been effective in reducing violent incidents off campus, but rather to supplement these policing efforts.”

The UC Ambassadors will support Cincinnati Police and UC Police in efforts to improve safety and security in the area by creating a welcoming and engaging environment near UC’s campus in high foot-traffic areas and adjacent residential areas, he said.

Block By Block has been active in Cincinnati since 2001 in the downtown business district, supplementing cleaning services provided by the City of Cincinnati and serving as public information resources to downtown visitors, workers, shoppers and residents. Block By Block’s  Safety Ambassadors augment police services in the Central Business District by providing additional eyes and ears.

The UC Ambassadors team will include five safety ambassadors and an operations manager. Michael Myers, the operations manager for UC Ambassadors is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and has extensive experience in law enforcement as well as with various safety and security companies.  Rounding out the team are Team Leader Markita Coach and Safety Ambassadors Mandy Hughes, Kenneth Robinson, Glen Comstock and Eric Long.

“The ambassadors selected for our team were hand-picked from a pool of more than 100 applicants and were selected based on their personalities as well as their backgrounds,” Ambach said. “They are all customer service driven.”

The UC Block By Block team will be deployed from 6:00 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. in the areas east and south of campus, particularly along Short Vine and in the U Square area.

The team has been in training with UC Police to familiarize themselves with services available to UC students such as NightRide and the Bearcat Transportation System. 

Block By Block was originally a division of Brantley Security, which provided security services since 1993. In 1995, they began providing cleaning and safety services for the Louisville Downtown Management District. As that market began to grow, additional cities were added and Block by Block, LLC was formed in 2002 to serve the now five existing accounts in Louisville, Nashville, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Columbia, SC. Currently the firm serves 66 programs  in 27 states. Since 2008, Block by Block has been part of SMS Holdings Inc.