S.D. Guardian Angels May Take a Three-Month Hiatus : Crime: Three former members are suspected of illegally soliciting money in La Jolla and Pacific Beach.

The San Diego chapter of the Guardian Angels may suspend its operations for the next three months because three of its former members are allegedly soliciting money illegally in the La Jolla and Pacific Beach areas, a regional director for the group said Wednesday.

“I don’t want to foul San Diego,” said Weston Conwell, the director who heads the group for the southwestern United States and part of Canada. “We need to protect ourselves. These are bad apples, and we need to weed them out as soon as possible.”

Conwell has notified the San Diego Police Department that the three members were kicked out of the group July 15, but that they stole Guardian Angels uniforms and have been asking for money on behalf of the group.

Wednesday night, Conwell was scheduled to meet with the 30-member San Diego chapter to determine whether the Guardian Angels should be disbanded for three months.

Police spokesman Bill Robinson said the La Jolla Town Council complained several weeks ago about members of the Guardian Angels stopping traffic to ask for money, but that, when police were dispatched, the group fled.

Although Conwell has given flyers to police that have photos of the three former Angels, Robinson said officers have no probable cause to arrest them. However, police will investigate citizen complaints about illegal soliciting involving any organization, he said.

The Guardian Angels, which began as a volunteer patrol for the New York City subway system in 1979, expanded to nearly 10,000 members nationwide and in Canada, Australia and Great Britain.

With their trademark red berets and T-shirts, they began patrolling downtown San Diego in 1982, but stopped in 1986 after the death of a member in Northern California.

The San Diego chapter was revived in 1989, but membership has fallen from a high of about 100 to 30.

About a month ago, according to Conwell, the group eliminated its 24-hour patrol in downtown San Diego, and members are now out on the streets only on Friday and Saturday nights.

At one time, the San Diego chapter had the strongest 24-hour patrol in the state, Conwell said. The organization has recently lost its headquarters at Island Avenue and 12th Street.

Conwell said the group is still strong in Oceanside, Los Angeles and New York City.

But San Diego “is in a slump” because school is back in session and some members have found other things to do, he said. The alleged actions of the renegade trio have also hurt the group, he said.

The Guardian Angels have never been officially sanctioned by the San Diego Police Department and have been asked not to interfere with law enforcement operations.

Last year, six members of the group were detained by police and cited for misdemeanor battery and false imprisonment after they attempted to place two men under citizen’s arrest.

“Some of them have the best interests of the community at heart,” Robinson said. “They spot crimes being committed and help the elderly, but we did have some difficulties last year.”

Despite the recent problems, Conwell said he believes the Guardian Angels can come back stronger than ever in San Diego.

“We need to be the eyes and ears of the police,” he said. “People are out there looking for us. San Diego is a beautiful city by day. At night, the gutter creatures come out.”