Alliance for Downtown New York Honors Seven Public Safety Officers for Exceptional Service
The Alliance for Downtown New York honored seven public safety officers for their outstanding service. The ceremony, a long-standing tradition at the Alliance, was held Wednesday afternoon at the Giardino d’Oro on Gold Street. The officers were honored for a variety of distinguished acts, from reuniting a lost child with her mother, to assisting the NYPD by securing a weapon after an attempted robbery.
Downtown Alliance President Jessica Lappin presented the awards, together with Senior Vice President of Operations Ron Wolfgang and Director of Public Safety Dave Harvin.
“We are so proud of the work our public safety team does everyday, acting as our eyes and ears on the streets of Lower Manhattan,” Lappin said. “These awards showcase the many ways our honorees have gone above and beyond their normal duties to benefit our community.”
The Public Safety Officers received recognition from the Downtown Alliance for the following:
Security Officers Theresa Seignious and Malaysia Venable — On the morning of Monday, August 26, 2024, Officers Theresa Seignious and Malaysia Venable were on routine patrol when they were informed by a person exiting the subway of a lost child in the subway station located at Rector St. and Broadway. They went into the subway to investigate and found a 12-year-old girl sitting on the platform. Due to the warm conditions in the subway, they escorted the child to the street. The guards were able to overcome a language barrier and contact the girl’s mother by phone. The mother and child were reunited shortly thereafter
Supervisor Turhan White and Security Officer Theresa Seignious — On the afternoon of Saturday, August 17, 2024,Officer Seignious was performing routine patrol when she was approached by a lost 71-year-old female. Due to a language barrier and possible mental infirmity, Officer Seignious was unable to communicate with the woman and notified dispatch and requested a supervisor. Supervisor White responded to the scene. Using Google Translate Officer Seignious was able to determine that she was a Polish tourist who had become separated from her tour group. They attempted to contact the Polish Embassy without success and notified the NYPD. Supervisor White suggested using WhatsApp which allows users to connect with international phone numbers. They were then successful with contacting the tour group and reunited the woman with the group.
Supervisor Shawn Soto and Security Officers Jeremy Vega, Jerry Marcus and James Paige — On the afternoon of Saturday, July 27, 2024, Officer Vega was performing routine patrol when he was informed of a violent dispute inside of a smoke shop at 80 Nassau St. He had dispatch notify 911 and send a supervisor to assist. Supervisor Soto and Officers Marcus and Paige responded to the scene. As they were keeping the location under observation, two men fled and headed north on Nassau St. As they fled, one of the perpetrators dropped a firearm. Supervisor Soto directed Officer Marcus to secure the firearm with a traffic cone and Officers Vega and Paige to block northbound traffic on Nassau Street to protect the crime scene. Supervisor Soto ascertained that the incident was an attempted robbery and a second call to 911 was made informing them of what transpired during the altercation and that a gun was involved. The police responded to the scene, took possession of the secured gun and proceeded with their investigation, which was referred to the First Precinct Detective Unit.
The Downtown Alliance’s team of nearly 50 public safety officers is ever present on the streets of Lower Manhattan, helping to ensure that the neighborhood remains safe. Known for their bright red uniforms, the team operates in close collaboration with New York City Police Department’s 1st Precinct and the Patrol Borough Manhattan South Scooter Task Force. In addition, these proud men and women also help locals and visitors alike with general information, directions and personal recommendations on how to best experience Lower Manhattan.
This year’s awards ceremony was hosted by our partners Quality Protection Services, a leading provider of security services.