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Dressed in blue polo shirts with "Police Volunteer" on the backs of them, the ambas- sadors will walk the streets in the downtown area to provide help, answer questions and give directions to visitors (and maybe even a few locals). Like all the department's volunteers, they have no arrest or detention powers, but they are armed with radios to summon sworn officers if they decide a "higher authority" is needed. Each of the ambassadors has received 24 hours of training. "They are an extra set of eyes and ears," said Police Chief Bernadette DiPino at a short ceremony in Five Points Park. "I saw this in Memphis, TN. They asked me if I was lost," she recalled. "It made me feel welcome." There are a lot of people to welcome here. The evening before, a consultant told the City Commission Sarasota is host to 1 mil- lion visitors per year, with an average stay of nearly a week (6.5 days). "It is important we are a clean, safe and friendly city," said Tom Barwin, city manager, at the Tuesday event. The blue-clad ambassadors will be the walk- ing arm of the city police volunteer corps. The well-established gray-clad volunteers will remain the motorized arm, cruising the city in cars marked "Civilian Volunteer Sarasota Police." City Commissioner Susan Chapman offers remarks on the Police Ambassadors Program. Photo by Norman Schimmel Sarasota News Leader July 25, 2014 Page 67