When they were founded in 1979 by Curtis Sliwa, the Guardian Angels weren’t regarded fondly by police, who viewed them as untrained, red beret-wearing vigilantes. But in Greenwich Village’s Sixth Precinct, the Angels, working with the Christopher St. Patrol, and police have established a good relationship. Last Wednesday at the Sixth Precinct Community Council’s meeting at Our Lady of Pompei Church at Bleecker and Carmine Sts., Deputy Inspect Theresa Shortell, Sixth Precinct commanding officer, presented four Guardian Angels and a civilian member of the Christopher St. Patrol award certificates of appreciation for their role in a Jan. 29 arrest of a pickpocket who had lifted a man’s wallet with $2,600 in cash on the West Side Highway at Christopher St. The victim shouted for help and the Angels responded. In the top photo, Terri Howell, a Village resident who led the patrol the night of the incident, is flanked by, from left, River, Hector, Pluckster and Angel. The Angels asked that their street names be used to protect their identities. Below left, Shortell gave Hector his award. Below right, Sliwa spoke. David Poster, the patrol’s founder, said he couldn’t remember a similar occurrence in the patrol’s 15-year history. “It was a real morale booster,” he said.
