Alliance Honors Security Officers Who Keep Lower Manhattan Safe
The Downtown Alliance continued a decades-long tradition on May 14 by honoring members of its Public Safety Officer program who have rendered meritorious service in the last year.
The Alliance’s Public Safety team, comprised of more than 40 security officers who are recognizable by their signature bright red jackets, intervene in emergencies, such as reporting crimes in progress and reuniting lost children with their families, while also calling in violations by street vendors and peddlers (more than 1,800 times in fiscal year 2023) within their patrol zone—an area roughly from City Hall to the Battery, from the East River to West Street.
This year’s honorees included Security Officer Theresa Seignious, who, in April, 2023, observed a man and a woman spray painting the side of 120 Broadway. The NYPD responded and arrested the perpetrators. A few months later, Officer Seignious observed two fruit vendors arguing over a cart spot at the corner of Broadway and Rector Street. The vendors started to push each other, and one of them brandished a knife. Officer Seignious’s report led to the arrest of the knife-wielding vendor.
Last August, Supervisors Francisco Rosario and Akeem Jones were notified by Alliance dispatchers to respond to the corner of Pine and William streets to investigate a scaffold collapse. When they arrived on the scene, they observed a piece of scaffolding on the ground and two injured workers. After summoning emergency assistance help, they redirected pedestrians and blocked off streets to allow emergency vehicle access.
In September, Security Officer Nathan Turner was informed by a passerby about a man who had fallen out of his wheelchair and into the bus lane in front of 25 Broadway. Officer Turner arrived on the scene and, along with several passersby, assisted the man back into his wheelchair. A month later, Officer Turner was flagged down by a taxi driver with an unconscious man in his back seat. Officer Turner called for emergency medical services, who transported the man to a local hospital.
In October, Security Officer Jeffrey Lissade observed a woman crying at the corner of Fulton and William streets. When he asked if anything was wrong, the woman said she had just been physically assaulted. Officer Lissade called for police assistance, and the perpetrator was arrested.
Last November, Supervisor Shawn Soto and Security Officer Jeremy Vega observed a man acting irrationally and harassing passersby. They saw the man follow a person into 88 Fulton Street, and called for police assistance. The man was taken into custody and transported to a hospital.
During 2023, the Alliance’s Public Safety team, working in partnership with Trinity Church and the Bowery Rescue Mission, helped move 111 homeless individuals off the streets and into transitional housing.
Alliance president Jessica Lappin was appreciative. “They do it all,” she said of the security team, “from patrolling the streets, to giving directions, to acting fast when someone needs help.”