3 LAPD OFFICERS NAMED TOP COPS.

Byline: Steve Carney Staff Writer

The coveted statues are known as the police Oscars, but the award-winning heroics of three North Hollywood officers are far from movie make-believe.

For their part in a New Year's Eve shootout near Universal City in 1998, three LAPD cops are among winners of the seventh annual Top Cops Awards, from the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Police Organizations.

NAPO announced Monday that Officer Cynthia French, Sgt. Joan Leuck and Officer Romik Keshishi are being recognized for their handling of the heavily armed gunman who critically wounded French.

``It's pretty prestigious. Its nickname in the industry is the Oscar for cops,'' said Jody Couser, communications director for the association, a 22- year-old lobbying group that represents 220,000 officers nationwide.

``Usually they are looking for cases that go above and beyond the call of duty, really making the extra effort,'' whether in a life-threatening situation or in community service, she said.

Honorees are nominated by their peers, making the award even more meaningful to officers, Couser said.

The awards will be bestowed Aug. 5 in Washington, co-hosted by Richard Belzer of NBC-TV's ``Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,'' and Lynne Russell, a ``CNN Headline News'' anchorwoman and Fulton County, Ga., reserve deputy sheriff.

Out of 350 nominations this year, an independent committee chose 50 finalists - one officer or group of officers from each state. The three North Hollywood officers and the single incident in which they were involved were picked to represent California.

Those finalists are whittled down to 10 award winners, with the representatives of the remaining 40 states being given honorable mentions.

``I am honored to represent the many hard-working, dedicated officers of the Los Angeles area,'' French said in a prepared statement.

Leuck added: ``It always has been, and always will be, an honor to serve the citizens of my community.''

The night of the shooting, French and her rookie partner responded to a report of an armed man at the gated Studio Colony community near Universal City. Leuck and Keshishi also entered the apartment building.

They confronted James McCracken, 34, who began firing at them from his arsenal of automatic and semiautomatic weapons.

French sustained several critical chest wounds around her bulletproof vest, but four other officers dragged her to safety. The 16-year veteran recovered and returned to duty.

McCracken died of the wounds he suffered in the shootout.

The award is not only the second Top Cops Award in two years for the LAPD, it is the second for the department's North Hollywood Division.

Ten officers from the station won the 1998 award for their part in the live-television gunbattle with two Bank of America robbers on Feb. 28, 1997.