HONOLULU (KHON2) – With Waikiki being one of Hawaii’s premier locations, filled with tourists, but also home to a lot of crime and homeless, the Waikiki Business Improvement District decided it was time to amp up security.
So they launched a new program in collaboration with the Honolulu Police Department, Elevated Safety ambassadors, 24/7 security presence, decked in neon green outfits, body cams, and trained in advanced first aid, de-escalation, and handling mental health issues.
Over the first two months of the program, it’s so far been a success.
“We’ve just seen a real decrease in the activity out there,” said Dave Willard, Vice President of WBID. “They’re able to de-escalate situations and actually reduce the amount of calls that normally go to the police department. The team is able to respond to these often times before it even escalates into something that would disrupt and end up in a police call.”
There are 8 Elevated Safety ambassadors that roam the streets of the Waikiki strip, with responsibilities such as checking in with store owners, directing guests, cleaning up loose trash, enforcing rules, and ready to assist in emergency situations if need be.
“I love my job. I get to interact with a lot of people, diverse, locals, visitors,” said Thoren Nansen, one of the ambassadors, one the different types of people he gets to meet while walking through Waikiki. “I’m there to educate them on something that they might not be aware of when they come to visit, just to give their experience a bit more lively in a sense.”
Nansen reflected on how his days can consist of talking story with people from all over the world, which he says can sometimes give him inspiration for his next travel plans, or assisting in more dire situations, such as CPR.
After the first two months of the program, which the WBID says has so far been a success, they’re hoping to continue to expand.
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“We’re trying to figure out the best way that moving forward we can have more ambassadors out there,” said Willard. “So having this team out there respond in the moment to these issues, it’s just been a huge insight to see how this thing pans out. We’ve been at it for about two months now and it’s been real positive results.”