ANGELS AMONG US

Nationwide Anticrime Group Now Has Chapter Patrolling Tampa

TAMPA - Armed with only street smarts and a high-power flashlight, Ruben
Gomez led his beret-clad volunteers on another late night patrol of
Nebraska Avenue.

"Once they see the red berets, they walk away," said Gomez, referring to
the prostitutes, johns and drug dealers he faces along the thoroughfare.
The volunteers' presence "is a deterrent."

Gomez loves fighting crime, although he isn't a police officer. The 44-
year-old is a veteran of the Guardian Angels, the civilian anticrime group.

After serving with the group in New York and Puerto Rico, he is helping to
set up the worldwide organization's newest chapter, in Tampa.

Gomez said the motivation is simple: to help police push drug dealers and
prostitutes off the streets.

"It's an uphill battle, but it can happen; I know it will happen," he said.
"I'm not saying I'm going to the World Series next year, but I'll be a
contender."

The Guardian Angels are volunteers who work independently of law
enforcement. Wearing their distinctive red berets and white T-shirts, they
patrol public spaces such as streets, subways and buses.

New volunteers undergo several months of training, which includes
self-defense, first aid, and communication and conflict resolution skills.

Gomez said about a dozen recruits have signed up and passed a criminal
background clearance, mandatory for all recruits. Of those, three or four
regularly participate in the patrols.

Initially the Tampa chapter will focus on patrolling Nebraska Avenue south
of Busch Boulevard. Gomez said eventually they want to enlist enough
volunteers for nightly patrols in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater.

The Tampa recruits won't finish their training for several weeks, but Gomez
already has led his troops on several patrols. Most outings have been along
Nebraska, although some members spent a weekend combing a St. Petersburg
apartment complex for an at-large rapist.

The group's efforts are making a difference, Gomez said. On patrols, they
routinely encountered eight or 10 prostitutes several months ago. Now, he
said, they see two or three.

Guardian Angels also helped police retrieve a stolen bicycle recently in
north Tampa.

"If we keep on doing it, if we persevere, [criminals] won't come back,"
Gomez said.

Humble Beginnings

The Guardian Angels were formed in 1979 when Curtis Sliwa, then a night
manager at a fast-food restaurant, became frustrated with crime in his
Bronx, N.Y., neighborhood. The group's popularity quickly spread, and
within a few years thousands of recruits were patrolling New York streets.

Today the nonprofit organization has chapters throughout North America,
Europe and Japan.

Gomez began volunteering with Guardian Angels in 1979 in New York, staying
with the chapter until joining the Army in 1985. He organized a chapter in
Puerto Rico in 1992 before moving to Tampa four years later.

He said he decided to start a Tampa chapter after reading news reports
about police shortages.

"I just like helping people," said Gomez, who works in a north Tampa hotel.
"It makes my day. I don't get paid for this."

Steve Hesketh, 36, of St. Petersburg joined Gomez after seeing a recent
television news report on the Guardian Angels.

"I've got kids of my own, so basically I want to keep" the streets safe, he
said. "Everybody I've heard from had positive things to say about" the
Guardian Angels.

Jor-el Koenig of Clearwater works 50 to 60 hours a week at two jobs but
still finds time to volunteer on weekends.

"If I could do anything in my life, I'd be a superhero, and this is the
closest I can be to that," Koenig, 20, said. "It's in my nature to help
people."

Koenig said he gladly would risk his life while performing his duty as a
Guardian Angel. He added he has no interest in pursuing a profession in law
enforcement.

"Being a cop isn't bad, but they do it for a living," he said. "I don't
know many cops who would be willing to die for someone else."

Tampa police officials have given the group a cool reception, Gomez said,
although several beat officers privately have expressed support.

Police spokesman Joe Durkin said the department appreciates the group's
intentions. But he cautioned them from responding to criminal activity
themselves.

"The Guardian Angels are welcome," Durkin said. "But we urge them, like any
citizens group, to call law enforcement and not put themselves in a
position where they might get themselves hurt."

Gomez said Guardian Angels always work within the law and are trained to
notify police immediately when they see criminal activity.

And they only respond physically when defending themselves or a victim who
is in danger, he said.

"What's confrontational about us, we wear red berets?" Gomez said. "I've
been in the Guardian Angels for 23 years. I've never been arrested, I've
never sent someone to the hospital."

Neighborhood Patrols

The Guardian Angels aren't the only civilians on patrol. Neighborhood
groups in Seminole Heights and north Tampa routinely conduct anticrime
patrols on foot or with cars, particularly on Nebraska.

Crime watch groups also have been active throughout the city for years.

Frank Roder, a longtime neighborhood activist from Southeast Seminole
Heights, helped organize one such group two years ago called the Exercise
Club. He said he welcomes the Guardian Angels and hopes they'll work with
existing neighborhood anticrime efforts.

"The more publicity we can get on the [crime] problem, the better the
outcome will be," Roder said. "I just hope they're willing to go about
doing it the way we do it - in a respectful approach. We don't want them to
be a vigilante group."

Gomez said the Guardian Angels are here to complement - not compete with or
replace - other groups. And he denies any implication his organization is
prone to vigilantism.

"A vigilante is a judge, jury and executioner," he said. "We leave that to
the courts."

For information, the Guardian Angels' regional office at (954) 967- 0812,
or go to www.guardianangels.org