Private security officers clad in khaki pants and gray shirts bearing the phrase “Longmont Welcoming Spaces Outreach Team” will begin patrolling parts of Longmont next week in a joint venture between the city and the Longmont Downtown Development Authority.
The new program, characterized as the use of a “private security force” in an internal city email obtained by the Longmont Times-Call and Daily Camera, had not been announced publicly.
But when asked about it Wednesday, officials confirmed the city contracted the Trident Protection Group for “ambassador services,” and that those patrols will begin Monday in order to “provide some additional eyes and ears.”
“Their job is to be a welcoming presence in downtown and the greenways, troubleshoot issues that they find, answer questions, make connections with the community and keep Longmont an amazing place to dine, shop, work, live and play,” Assistant City Manager Sandi Seader wrote in an email. “We will evaluate the project at the end of the summer season to determine if it has merit for future years.”
The city and the Longmont Downtown Development Authority will share the 16-week program’s $29,440 cost, Seader said.
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