DULUTH, Ga. — The city of Duluth is now hiring civilians to respond to non-emergency calls instead of police officers.
Recent hires at the Duluth Police Department are not traditional police officers but are public safety ambassadors.
This initiative aims to free up resources for sworn officers to focus on crime-fighting efforts.
“Every day you never know what you’re going to get into,” said Carey LaFeve, a newly appointed public safety ambassador who previously worked as a substitute teacher.
LaFeve explained her unexpected career shift after her children left for college.
“I saw this and said, ‘Hey, that’s going to be something different,’” LaFeve said.
Although she didn’t graduate from the police academy, LaFeve is now on the streets of Duluth, assisting in various duties that support sworn officers.
Duluth modeled its program after a similar one in Marietta, and it’s the latest metro city to use civilians in this manner.
Public safety ambassadors in Duluth help with traffic control, filing reports, and engaging with the community.
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“The officers have really appreciated our help so they can use their time to do the calls they need to be on,” LaFeve said.
Cpl. Ted Sadowski of the Duluth Police Department described the program as a significant improvement.
“It’s been a game changer,” he said.
Sadowski noted the efficiency of the program, highlighting that ambassadors can be trained and hired more quickly than traditional police recruits.
“We’re able to bring in-house training in a shorter time than the academy and get them on the street quicker,” he said.
Currently, the Duluth Police Department employs two public safety ambassadors, with plans to add more in the coming months.
LaFeve is optimistic about the program’s future.
“Hopefully we can expand the program in other counties and other counties will get them also,” LaFeve said.
The addition of public safety ambassadors is a strategic move to improve the allocation of police resources while maintaining community support and engagement.
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