A passerby stopped Ambassador Brandon Simmons on Town Street, and reported he had overheard a young woman saying she was a runaway and her family was looking for her. Brandon stayed nearby until our team captain and Special Duty Officer Gureck arrived. The girl confirmed that she was a 17-year-old runaway from Wisconsin. Brandon and Officer Gureck consulted with Children's Services, and got the girl the help she needed.

Officer Gureck was impressed with how well Brandon handled the situation. He said females in these situations typically end up victims of sexual assault or human trafficking. This situation could have had a very different outcome had our team not been involved.

"I am consistently impressed with how effective our safety ambassadors are at addressing real or potential criminal activity in the downtown. I am so proud of Brandon's accomplishment and his great intuition. Downtown is definitely a safer place because of our terrific team," said Lisa Defendiefer, the SID's Deputy Director of Operations and Advocacy.