(KRON) — The San Francisco Police Department will be deploying 25 more Community Ambassadors to complement public safety efforts in various parts of the city, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced Friday. The new ambassadors will be patrolling neighborhoods in the Outer Sunset district, Hayes Valley, Castro, Fillmore, West Portal and Fisherman’s Wharf areas.

“Public safety in our neighborhoods means having both police officers and ambassadors working together to support our residents and merchants,” Mayor Breed said in a news release. “These retired SFPD officers have the knowledge and experience to help recognize challenges and call for help, allowing our police officers to be available for calls that require a police response, and to focus on investigations and disrupting crime.”  

This new deployment comes after Mayor Breed approved a new police budget supplemental for the city ending the hiring freeze.

The additional officers expand the existing program by about 50 percent bringing the total number of Community Ambassadors to 74, officials said. The ambassadors are made up of unarmed retired San Francisco police officers to act as an alternative to putting more sworn police officers to the streets.

“Our public safety commitment goes beyond enforcing laws and making arrests. It also means finding creative solutions that most effectively and efficiently reduce community harms while engaging with, and building relationships with, our diverse communities,” San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said in the release.

The Mayor has also funded new ambassadors for the Mission, which will deploy next month, according to the release.