CLEVELAND — A deadly shooting in Downtown Cleveland’s Public Square is bringing safety top of mind. Downtown leaders hope new and existing initiatives will make the city center as safe and welcoming as possible.
Monday afternoon, the Saam family was visiting Cleveland ahead of the Browns-Bengals rivalry game.
“We’re going to hit the casino for a little bit and just walk around downtown, see what downtown is all about,” Dan Saam said.
The football fans from Bowling Green said they hadn’t yet encountered anything in the city to make them second-guess their safety.
“We’ve been here for about 20 minutes and I feel safe,” said Dan Saam.
Mary Saam added, “Yeah, I feel safe.”
Chris Casper has lived downtown for 12 years and feels similarly, but said he tries to be aware of his surroundings.
“I don’t feel uncomfortable and I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with my girlfriend walking down here,” he said. “But as always, in the middle of the night, no matter where you are, you’ve got to be safe.”
Just before midnight Sunday going into Monday, Cleveland Police say a 39-year-old man was fatally shot during a dice game in Public Square. The suspected gunman took off before investigators arrived.
RELATED:Man shot, killed in Public Square
According to public records as of October 22, there had been 19 homicides so far in 2022 in Cleveland’s District 3, which includes downtown. It was the second lowest number of all 5 of the city’s districts.
Ed Eckart, the Senior VP of Operations at the Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA), said violence in general in downtown is rare.
“These aren’t random acts that are happening downtown,” Eckart said. “I would easily say we’re the safest neighborhood in the city of Cleveland. When we add up our residents downtown, we’re equivalent to a neighborhood.”
Eckart said DCA ambassadors have been the ‘eyes and ears’ for Cleveland Police in recent years, in addition to keeping sidewalks clear, offering safety escorts and acting as a concierge service for downtown visitors.
The organization also staffs full-time outreach specialists, who work with CPD’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) to respond to mental health emergencies and connect individuals with help.
Additionally, Eckart told News 5 DCA will soon be launching a pilot program focusing on safety near Public Square. From 8 p.m. to midnight Wednesday through Sunday, downtown service officers and neighborhood safety specialists will be deployed from an office inside Terminal Tower.
“The goal there is to increase unarmed, uniformed visibility so people feel safer, but also work in collaboration with Cleveland Police to resolve any of the issues that revolve around things like vandalism or any potential criminal issues,” Eckart explained.
He said a similar program in the Warehouse District received positive feedback. If the downtown pilot program is successful, DCA will consider making it a permanent addition.
Eckart hopes the safety efforts will help with downtown’s continuing rebound from the pandemic.
“That’s really all aimed at making sure downtown is vibrant, that we’re an economic engine for the region. As downtown goes, so does Northeast Ohio.”
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