The theory is the more people who are out and about engaging the public, the less bad things happen.
The job requires a light tough; you have to be able to help out lost tourists, but also check in with businesses and Loop employees as they navigate their daily lives. The ambassadors are assigned to patrol the Loop during the busy summer months.
"I pull my team together at the beginning of the day and get them prepared to go out to the community, meet with them to let them know that we're here as another set of eyes," said Devona Williams.
Williams is back for her second consecutive summer as a Loop ambassador. She starts her shift at 3:30 p.m., but it is no longer confined just to the State Street corridor. As of Monday, most of the Central Loop is within the ambassadors' purview, from Dearborn to Canal and from Ida B. Wells to Wacker.
"They are people that are kind faces that know what's happening in the Loop so they anticipate or adjust to the needs around them. They can check with businesses to see how they are doing, how their employees are handling things. Or if they need assistance going to their car or helping with social services if somebody's in distress," said Ariella Gibson of the Chicago Loop Alliance.
And while they are unarmed, as part of their training street ambassadors go through mock scenarios where they are taught to de-escalate arguments before they get out of hand.
"If there's something tense or potentially volatile they often times have a bit more of a clear head space to step in between two parties especially if it's a team of ambassadors. They can separate individuals and kind of talk them down of the ledge," Gibson said.
And the street ambassador program is not limited to the Loop. As of last year, starting this month and until October 7, ambassadors will be present in large business corridors around the city from Englewood to Chinatown and Rogers Park.
While the funding comes from the city, it is local organizations on the ground in each of the neighborhoods that run their respective teams.