The new police community liaison for Beacon Hill and Downtown and Beacon has hit the ground running and is getting a warm reception from civic groups and major stakeholders.

Zachary Crossen has been appointed the new community service Sergeant for the A1 district. The role makes him responsible for managing relations between the community and police department.

"Officer Crossen is an inspired choice to be the new community service officer serving Downtown Crossing and the Financial District neighborhoods," Michael Nichols, president of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District, said in a statement. "His previous engagements with our businesses, residents, community groups and visitors have been overwhelmingly positive. We look forward to his energy and leadership in the district on a more specialized basis."

Crossen has been working in the A1 district for some time and joined the community service office earlier this summer. The team includes both officers and civilians, and the number of community service officers varies depending on the size of its neighborhood.

The A1 district seems to have only one, a position that’s sat unoccupied for several months since Crossen’s predecessor moved to police headquarters. George Coorssen, a cofounder of the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association (DBNA) says the position has been fairly passive over the years, but its new appointee seems to be wasting no time.

He’s already attended community meetings in his new capacity, including meeting with several DBNA leaders.

“I've met him a couple times, and he's very engaged. He gets it. He’s terrific. I can’t say enough about him,” said Coorssen. “I don’t know him that well, but I think we’ll have a very, very good relationship and he’ll be a great liaison between us and the police department.”

On September 9 Crossen helped host an event welcoming families back to the Eliot School, with the help of Hercules the emotional support horse. Crossen unfortunately wasn’t able to escape the celebration without getting his turn in the dunk tank at the hands of principal Traci Griffith.

Crossen’s work doing community outreach stretches back for the better part of his career. He’s served as the department’s face at various events for years, including programs at the Center for Teen Empowerment, a nonprofit focusing on nonviolence, as far back as 2017.