Guardian Angels Raising Awareness Of Recent Street Crimes

Police in the District are getting a helping hand from the Guardian Angels in their efforts to stop an outbreak of armed robberies largely targeting people with personal electronic devices, including smart phones.

The citizen crime prevention group has begun a crime awareness campaign that includes handing out fliers to pedestrians and transit riders, and this morning they're outside the New York Avenue Metro station.

"We're passing out these flyers that say 'Don't become a victim.' They're safety tips. Making people aware of what's going on in the area," says John Ayala with the Guardian Angels. "Throughout the District of Columbia people are being robbed for their iPhones, iPods, and computers."

The Angels were handing out the information at Woodley Park-Zoo Metro station on the Red line, and they'll head to Anacostia tonight, according to Ayala.

"We're covering throughout the District of Columbia, because most of these crimes are in Northwest, but it's actually happening throughout D.C.," he says. "It's happening in Southeast, Northwest, Northeast."

There has been an increase in these types of crimes since late last year, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The Department has sent out 200 officers who have been reassigned to work on these types of crimes.

But at this point, the crimes continue; there was another robbery yesterday on 12th St. NW.