Original ambassadorsThe Atlanta Downtown Improvement District Ambassadors are marking their 15 year anniversary this month. Since their inception, the Ambassador’s role has expanded to include: 24 hour police enhancement and selective enforcement, a partnership with the Atlanta Police Department and the Police Foundation in Operation Shield and monitoring Downtown surveillance cameras, Woodruff Park daily operations, and various emergency preparedness procedures and responses.

In just in the last five years, 14 million guests, office workers, and visitors Downtown have been greeted by an Ambassador and have helped more than six million people have been assisted with directors or information. More than 300 offenders have been arrested with assistance from an Ambassador and more than 250 people have received medical assistance facilitated by an Ambassador.

For more about the Ambassadors, visit www.atlantadowntown.com.

Collin Kelley is the executive editor of Atlanta Intown, Georgia Voice, and the Rough Draft newsletter. He has been a journalist for nearly four decades and is also an award-winning poet and novelist.