The safety initiatives of Capital Crossroads and Discovery SIDs rely on outstanding coordination between the safety ambassadors, local security professionals and the Columbus Division of Police. A recent situation offers a textbook example of how this partnership works in practice to keep residents, employees and visitors safe downtown.

An employee of Rishi Sushi at 114 N. Third Street was the victim of a purse snatching. SID Acting Team Leader Turquoise Cunningham spotted the suspect as he ran from the restaurant, and along with two other safety ambassadors, Eric Wheelis and Rick Armstrong, followed him on bicycle until he ran into the Motorists Insurance building. Other ambassadors and Columbus Division of Police officers immediately joined efforts, which resulted in the arrest of the suspect.

After the arrest, other team members fanned out to find the missing contents of the victim’s purse. All of the cash and personal items were collected and returned to the surprised and grateful victim.

A happy ending would not have been possible without the excellent work and coordination of the SID ambassadors and Columbus Division of Police. The safety network performed exactly as planned, from the initial identification of the suspect by Cunningham to the communication with CPD to the successful retrieval of the victim’s property. Kudos to all for a job well done.