The State - News from Nov. 30, 1987

One hundred new Guardian Angels received the group’s trademark red berets during weekend graduation ceremonies in Hayward, and their first assignment will be to protect women from a notorious serial rapist. The Angels, who started out protecting New York subway riders and now offer their services in cities throughout the country, begin their unarmed patrols in Los Altos on Monday and San Jose on Tuesday, founder Curtis Sliwa said. Their primary task will be to thwart, and if possible catch, the “ski-mask rapist,” who has attacked 30 women in nine Santa Clara County communities since 1984. “Nowhere else in the country would 30 rapes have been tolerated and accepted as passively as they have in this region,” Sliwa said. Sliwa’s remarks were not warmly received by San Jose Police Chief Joe McNamara. “I stop far short of endorsing the Guardian Angels,” McNamara said. However, he said “any organization that helps people from being victimized, that’s great.”