"Our mission today is Pioneer Park," Sliwa said. "Show improvements in Pioneer Park, then extend your wings to other communities in Salt Lake City that are under siege like they've never seen before.

Frank "Gunny" Lee is the Guardian Angels' director of chapter and operational development. He attended the graduation as a representative of Sliwa and works from Cincinnati. Lee said the presence of a new chapter in a city is not a vote of no confidence for local police.

"A Guardian Angel chapter developing in a city is in no way an indictment of that community's law enforcement," Lee said. "A police officer can't be five places at once. We want to develop a working relationship with law enforcement, citizens and with local government."

Lee said those connections have already been made in Salt Lake City and that the new patrol group would be in close contact with police. Lee also said that his group had spoken with the mayor of Ogden and that it could be the next Utah city to host an Angels chapter.

As for Pioneer Park, Mickelle Weber lives across the street and heads the area's neighborhood watch. She said that she and her neighbors she's spoken with see the new patrols as a very positive step.

"People don't go in the park right now ... they're afraid," Weber said. "The patrols bring eyes and ears ... being active and people actually taking ownership of the park is key."

Weber said that as a part of the efforts to occupy the park, an ongoing Sunday event hosted by her group called "Bocce and Barbecue" is intended to bring people together and make positive use of the space.

Tso said the Salt Lake Guardian Angels' first patrol of the park, conducted from 5-7 p.m. Saturday with an 11-person group, was very successful. Two people were found with drugs and/or paraphernalia, which the patrol confiscated, and one person, upset about the group's presence, was arrested by Salt Lake police after he attempted to assault a patrol member. Tso said the group photographed the people from whom drugs were confiscated and will call for an arrest if members come across them again with drugs.

"We're not cops," Tso said. "We're just citizens ... out there trying to keep everybody safe."

Tso said the group is working on a regular schedule for patrols at the park but expected it will focus on Friday and Saturday nights for the time being. Further information on the Guardian Angels can be found at the group's Web site: www.guardianangels.org.

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E-mail: araymond@desnews.com