With the increase in campus-area assaults and robberies not showing any signs of stopping, a worldwide patrolling force is setting its sights on Madison.
The Alliance of Guardian Angels is an organization comprised of volunteers who take to the streets, weapon-free, to fight crime in areas they believe have become excessively troublesome.
"What we do is saturate the area that's being affected," said Miguel Fuentes, temporary coordinator of the group's tentative Madison branch. "We are completely unarmed, but what's important is that we're a visible crime deterrent."
The group got its start in 1979 when the night manager at a McDonald's in the Bronx formed a band of 13 volunteers to combat the crime he saw day after day in the city. Since then, more than 20 chapters have been created worldwide, and the organization has helped establish other community outreach programs with groups such as the YMCA and the United Way.
Donned in red berets, the Angels make their rounds in areas of cities that are most prone to acts of violence — back allies, parking lots, unlit paths and walkways. Though unwilling to use violence to combat violence, Fuentes maintained the group members are not afraid to make citizen's arrests.
Other crime-combating efforts the Guardian Angels promote include safety education initiatives, Internet watch programs and partnerships with universities, community organizations and government agencies.
The Angels put their message in motion following the Aug. 23 Langdon Street assault, when members made trips to Madison with the city's safety in mind.
According to Fuentes, group members not only posted sketches of the suspect throughout the downtown area and inside bars and residence halls, but also handed out flyers with safety awareness messages and patrolled areas near Langdon and State streets.
But the Guardian Angels' mission has been met with both accolades and criticism.
While City Council President Austin King said the organization's members have "all the right intentions," he does not believe a privatized policing force is what Madison needs.
Officers of the city and university police departments all go through extensive training and know the law well, King said, adding that if any changes were to be made, it should be to add more officers and send them to the streets rather than to the bars to check IDs.
Fuentes insisted the Angels' intention is not to take the place of city police, but rather to be their "eyes and ears," but King maintained Madison would be well off to trust their local police force.
King did, however, acknowledge the "enormous need" for efforts to improve safety in Madison in light of the recent spike in violence.
Calling the sexual assault on University Avenue this Monday "heartbreaking," King said the police and community alike have to take action against the violence.
"In some sense, every person on the street needs to assume the position of a guardian angel, a good Samaritan," King said, noting Monday's attack is "doubly tragic" because instead of being stopped, the incident was perpetuated by two onlookers who joined in the sexual assault.
Fuentes shared similar sentiments, saying the Guardian Angels work to "empower people to get involved."
The group is currently working to form a Madison headquarters, and, according to Fuentes, the Angels plan on making weekly visits to the city until then.
