Guardian Angels begin patrolling Yonkers streets

[RWC130 594]

Guardian Angels begin patrolling Yonkers streets

By Theresa Juva

The Journal News

June 8, 2008

YONKERS - Some 15 Guardian Angels began patrolling the streets of Yonkers this weekend as the city welcomed the region's newest chapter of public safety volunteers.

It is the first chapter in Westchester, said regional director William Cruz, who added that residents in Yonkers reached out to The Alliance of Guardian Angels for help.

Cruz, a former city resident, said the need for more crime watch has grown, particularly on Buena Vista Avenue and Lawrence Street.

http://lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID...80344/-1/SPORTS

Any thoughts on this from Police Officers?

[CPAGE 2]

Just another gang in the streets. But this one gets the press

[gamewell45 258]

Just another gang in the streets. But this one gets the press

They may be a gang, but at least they are on our side. Better to have an extra set of eyes and ears to help out.

[ny10570 745]

They were never and are never effective. They just push crime form one corner to another. They haven't done crap for Philly and NYC only turned around after the police were given the support they needed to do their job.

[gamewell45 258]

They were never and are never effective. They just push crime form one corner to another. They haven't done crap for Philly and NYC only turned around after the police were given the support they needed to do their job.

Are there any reports or links to articles that you could post so we could learn more about this??

[INIT915 1,119]

They were never and are never effective. They just push crime form one corner to another. They haven't done crap for Philly and NYC only turned around after the police were given the support they needed to do their job.

Even if they're just 'annoying' perps, it's better than nothing. If their presence deters even one incident (which I'm sure it has), it's worth it, since it doesn't cost the public anything.

[ny10570 745]

I'm sure is you search around the net you'll find plenty of negative articles about the Angels. They first started catching static when a few higher-ups from the group started questioning Sliwa's intentions and telling the truth about his escapades when he started sending Angels to raid crack dens. By Sliwa's own admission he made up many of the more fantastic events he claimed. The Angels didn't deter crime. They were small in numbers but big in visibility. They would tout statistics of crime reduction at a subway station or in a neighborhood but those reductions never manifested into any changes in a precinct let alone an entire borough. So what good is it stopping a mugging on 163 and Simpson if someone is going to get mugged on 163 and Intervale? The angels did cost the taxpayers plenty of money. Every time one of them got sent to the hospital we all share the burden of their health care. Had they made an actual rather than a perceived impact on crime that expense may have been worth it. Even the argument that the publicity they generated helped draw attention to the problem and focused the city on the problem doesn't work since throughout Koch's time as mayor nothing really changed. It wasn't until Dinkins was in office and he appointed Lee Brown as commissioner that crime finally began to decline with his community policing efforts. I believe it was Ray Kelly who then took over and began pushing the quality of life issues that Giuliani is so famous for. Real improvements in the city came under Giuliani when compstat began cooking numbers, PD increased its staffing by 4,000(?) cops, training for cops was improved, closed circuit tv monitoring was dramatically expanded, and a variety of crime specific programs and units were created. This type of effort and focus on policing combined with a litany of economic factors is why NYC is as safe as it is today. Not because of a McDonals managing publicity whore in a red beret.

[jcoppola 52]

A few weeks ago, Curtis Sliwa and his group were at a city hall meeting/press conference expressing thier interest in assisting the Norwalk, CT Police Department with patrolling the streets of South Norwalk. Expectedly, the Police Chief was taken aback and said that his PD is doing a fine job. Crime statistics in Norwalk are staggering, but I am not sure that the Gaurdian Angels are the solution. Just thought it was interesting.

JVC

[Guest]

A few weeks ago, Curtis Sliwa and his group were at a city hall meeting/press conference expressing thier interest in assisting the Norwalk, CT Police Department with patrolling the streets of South Norwalk. Expectedly, the Police Chief was taken aback and said that his PD is doing a fine job. Crime statistics in Norwalk are staggering, but I am not sure that the Gaurdian Angels are the solution. Just thought it was interesting.

JVC

i know little about them, but know their mission...not necessarily to stop violence, but stop the ignorance that produces violence. they are generally good people with good intentions (...then again the KKK started out with good intentions) they can think there is something wrong with "the whole system" as you mentioned they might not be the solution but they're sure as hell not part of creating the problem and they do more then the average person...so we got to respect the effort

Edited June 9, 2008 by vacguy

[INIT915 1,119]

I'm sure is you search around the net you'll find plenty of negative articles about the Angels.

You can find negative articles about ANYONE. Police, Fire and EMS included. We all see them posted here all the time. Just cause a firefighter somewhere was an arsonists, we don't label every firefighter.

I see them as generally harmless and have some potential. As I said earlier, I'm sure somewhere, at sometime, some perp thought twice about doing something because these guys were hanging around.

[ex-commish 490]

i know little about them, but know their mission...not necessarily to stop violence, but stop the ignorance that produces violence. they are generally good people with good intentions (...then again the KKK started out with good intentions) they can think there is something wrong with "the whole system" as you mentioned they might not be the solution but they're sure as hell not part of creating the problem and they do more then the average person...so we got to respect the effort

What "good intensions" did the KKK start out with?

[Guest]

What "good intensions" did the KKK start out with?

the KKK started off no different than a neighborhood gathering of people who wanted to just get together. the neighborhoods only consisted of WASP's at that point, hence where problems started. racial extremists took it to the level it is now. you could title the begining works of the KKK to be no different than that of a poor man's country club. my point with this KKK example was good intentions can go bad. it takes a few individuals from any organization to make the whole look bad...that where the KKK example ends! lol they are now as we historically know them to be.

Edited June 9, 2008 by vacguy

[Oswegowind 17]

Great, and these guys are going to be calling in jobs? The South Broadway Business Improvement District tried this too...they hired 2 guys to look after the store fronts and pedestrian safety...well, that worked... BVA is not a heavily traveled street and there is no need for them there...they should hang out in Getty Square where the bulk of pedestrian traffic is in the entire city! Even with 3-4 cops there in the evening we still have problems, no one can be everywhere at the same time, ya know! Good luck Guardian Angels, but don't expect results.

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

A few weeks ago, Curtis Sliwa and his group were at a city hall meeting/press conference expressing thier interest in assisting the Norwalk, CT Police Department with patrolling the streets of South Norwalk. Expectedly, the Police Chief was taken aback and said that his PD is doing a fine job. Crime statistics in Norwalk are staggering, but I am not sure that the Gaurdian Angels are the solution. Just thought it was interesting.

JVC

I saw a Guardian Angel walking down North Water Street in South Norwalk today, the red beret and all. It was around 2:45 PM.

[jcoppola 52]

I saw a Guardian Angel walking down North Water Street in South Norwalk today, the red beret and all. It was around 2:45 PM.

I never saw that coming. I know how the city is and what has been going on lately, but by and large, the PD seems to have a handle on the crime. What do people expect when you have a large population of people in one particular area of town and many of the neighborhoods of that section of town happen to be economically depressed?

I can tell you that I know of two major problems in Norwalk that are causing Chief Rilling and his officers a bunch of headaches...drugs and gangs violence. I hope the Gaurdian Angels don't hamper the progress and hard work that the fine men and women of the NPD are continuing to do.

Joe

[LT. 22 1]

I just saw an article in the Norwalk Hour that said Crime was down in 2007 in Norwalk. Didn't get to read the full article though..

Edited June 10, 2008 by LT. 22

[CAM502 6]

What happened to "neighborhood watch"? If the people of the neighborhood don't care enough about their own block to watch out and say somehting, what are these vigilantes gonna do?

Wonder how long till one of them gets shot at cause they don't know Yonkers and go up to the wrong group of kids??

[gamewell45 258]

What happened to "neighborhood watch"? If the people of the neighborhood don't care enough about their own block to watch out and say somehting, what are these vigilantes gonna do?

Wonder how long till one of them gets shot at cause they don't know Yonkers and go up to the wrong group of kids??

Apparently they do receive more than cursory training. While Yonkers is a very rough place, many of them have worked the South Bronx and other not-so-nice neighborhoods.

The link below gives you a basic overview of the organization.

http://www.guardianangels.org/program_edu.php

[americanpolice 24]

Yonkers has over 40 Auxiliary Police Officers, trained in crowd and traffic control. For union reasons I believe, they are not utilized in patrol. That sucks because they are volunteers at no cost to taxpayers.

NYC, Nassau, and Suffolk County all use Auxiliary Police for foot and motor patrol. It makes for good community relations as well. But this is Yonkers. They dont want anything that will make the city better unless it costs money.

[ny10570 745]

All right, so the Guardian Angels claim they train their people. Here's a NY Times article from 1992 about the fraud that Sliwa was.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...752C1A964958260

Another one out of Florida.

http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2007-08-02/news/wingin-it/1

I'm not saying they don't have good intentions. Curtis Sliwa is a self promoting jackass and the Guardian Angels are an over hyped group of clowns who don't do what they claim.