ANGELS GRADUATE TO STREET

Patrollers Ready To Watch Over Drug-Plagued East Village

Janet Saretsky used to see red over the chronic presence of drug
dealers, junkies and prostitutes near her East Village business.

Now, under her new Guardian Angels beret, she is seeing the problem
with fresh eyes.

Saretsky, her husband Steve and the rest of Calgary's first graduates
are ready to begin patrolling the very area Saretsky used to fear.

"We felt good being out there," she said, wearing the group's
trademark red satin jacket and holding her red and pink certificate
from Sunday's graduation ceremony.

Angels founder and president Curtis Sliwa doled out the parchment to
the eight graduates and one member formerly of Toronto, calling out
their new nicknames: Spike, Tank, Rocky and Big Dog, among them.

"It's been a long time coming, but they have the training and they're
ready to go," he said.

After three months of training in self-defence and civil liberty
laws, the volunteers said they were ready to begin becoming what they
call a much-needed presence at C-Train platforms and the city's
notorious Needle Park.

The group aims to be the eyes and ears of police, deter crime and
break up fights.

Unlike the last visit, when Sliwa and another Angel wrestled a crack
pipe from a woman's hands, Sliwa now says those "American tactics"
won't work here.

The angels will not be confrontational or belligerent; they will call
the police for any criminal activity or violent incidents, he said.

The Calgary Police Service has not welcomed the Angels with open
arms. They have requested a business plan. Police presence has been
boosted in the downtown core, hoping to scare off drug dealers and
violent criminals.

But Sliwa said the time has come for citizens who avoid a seedy area
such as the East

Village -- which he likens to a hornet's nest -- to take it back.

"My grandparents said improve, don't move," he said.

Meanwhile, the newest Calgary recruits are eager to begin official
foot patrols this week.

"We want to get out into communities. We've been under the radar
until now," said Greg Martin, the chapter's leader.

Mount Royal College justice studies instructor Roland LaHaye is
welcoming a Vancouver Angels member to a public lecture Tuesday.

"It's a great chance for my students to learn about community
involvement," he said.