Skip to main content

Keeping Downtown Austin Safe and Welcoming

We want people to want to shop, play, eat and do business downtown. That’s why the majority of our annual budget goes towards services that help keep downtown a safe, clean and welcoming place to be, 365 days a year.

Downtown Ambassadors Program

The Downtown Ambassadors are the cornerstone of our direct services program. Every day our team of approximately 75 ambassadors works from 6am to 11pm removing trash and pressure washing streets. Our ambassadors are stewards for downtown and a resource for locals and visitors, providing information, assistance cleanup, beautification services and reporting.

Request Downtown Ambassador Services:

  • Service requests: Submit requests here for public litter or waste, graffiti removal and general cleaning issues.
  • Immediate needs: Call our team at (512) 937-7422 for general information, safety escorts, flat tire or battery jump.

In case of emergency, call 911 immediately. To report crimes after the fact, request city infrastructure repairs, or for requests outside the Downtown PID boundaries, call or contact Austin 3-1-1.

Hours of Service

7 days a week from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm

Ambassador Service Priorities

Clean

  • Litter and graffiti removal
  • Cleaning streets and sidewalks
  • Non-harmful bird and bird waste management

Safe

  • Escorting visitors
  • Reporting public disturbances
  • Connecting people with social services

Beautiful

  • Weed removal
  • Painting
  • Beautification of planters and landscaped beds

Hospitable

  • Greeting visitors
  • Providing tourism information and directions
  • Connecting with business owners and residents

Our Impact By The Numbers: 2022-2023

2022 - 2023 ambassador stats

Join The Ambassador Team

Each day, our team of ambassadors connects with the community and helps make downtown a place where people want to live, work and visit. They offer to help with information and directions, assist people and make them feel safe, maintain public spaces and restrooms and document all activity to optimize our direct services.

Apply

Stay in the Know

downtown austin rooftop shot

Textedly Alerts

Calling all downtown security professionals, members, residents and retail workers: Be the first to know about time-sensitive safety alerts about downtown. Text ‘Safety’ to (877) 958-8094 and sign up for our free Textedly alert program.

downtown safety forum 2023 for south by southwest downtown spring festival closures

Downtown Safety Forum

Join in the conversation to discuss downtown safety updates, crime data, road closures, and more during our virtual monthly safety forums. Follow our Eventbrite or email us to be notified when future Downtown Safety Forums are happening.

Collaborative Initiatives

We partner with other organizations and provide direct financial support to enhance downtown Austin in a variety of ways.

APD Overtime Patrols

We fund a year-round APD Overtime Patrol that puts two additional police officers downtown 12 hours a day, seven days a week. They patrol only on bikes and are highly visible, interacting frequently with pedestrians, property and security staff and business operators. They aren't called away to other sectors of the city, allowing them to focus solely on the downtown area.

High Activity Location Observation (HALO) Cameras

Downtown is busy at all hours of the day and night. Through a grant, the Downtown Austin Alliance helped fund HALO cameras, which give officers a bird's eye view of the downtown area so they can respond in real time.

Bird Control

Our feathered friends are nice to have downtown, but sometimes they are not great neighbors. Our team patrols the public improvement district nightly to dissuade birds from roosting, using methods that aren't harmful to the birds. We saw a 95 percent reduction in roosting bird populations and bird droppings after starting these patrols, keeping our sidewalks clean and welcoming for downtown pedestrians.

Public Restrooms

We partnered with the City of Austin’s Public Works and Public Health Departments to implement a public restroom pilot project. This resulted in a significant reduction in waste downtown, keeping it from entering our waterways. The Austin City Council approved a contract to bring 10 permanent public restrooms online, three of which have been installed downtown.

Learn More

Areas of Focus

Congress Avenue

We are deeply connected to Congress Avenue through its past, present and future. In addition to their work throughout the rest of downtown, our Downtown Ambassador team goes above and beyond on Congress Avenue through maintaining planters, putting up street banners and ensuring the street level is well-lit and inviting.

Read More

Republic Square

Republic Square is an important gathering place in the heart of downtown Austin, even more so after an almost $6 million renovation in 2017. The Downtown Alliance is responsible for operations and maintenance for the square, along with programming, event booking and logistical support.

Learn More

Sign up to receive emails from the Downtown Austin Alliance.

Go
 Close