BLUE LIGHTS SHINING FOR SLAIN OFFICERS; SIMI STATION JOINS NATIONAL EFFORT TO REMEMBER RISK OF JOB.

Byline: Douglas Clark Daily News Staff Writer

The thin blue line of lights decorating the Simi Valley police station is not a holiday celebration but a memorial.

This year for the first time, the Police Department is taking part in Project Blue Light, a national program organized 10 years ago to honor police officers who have died in the line of duty.

``We're very pleased to participate in this national program, which is intended to recognize those who have made the ultimate sacrifice,'' said Capt. Mark Layhew. ``The lights are quite visible. They give people an opportunity to remember those who have given so much.''

No Ventura County police officer has died on the job in 1997.

But on Aug. 4, 1995, Simi Valley police Officer Michael F. Clark was killed while responding to a report of a man threatening suicide.

In 1996, Ventura County sheriff's Deputy Peter John Aguirre was killed July 17 while responding to a report of a domestic dispute.

Lt. Neal Rein said Project Blue Light, which will continue until Jan. 5, is a reminder of the unpredictable nature of police work.

``It really makes you aware of your mortality - the potential to be there one minute, and not the next,'' he said. ``But, hey, that's the job.''

Rein said the project was brought to his attention by Michelle Bertsch, a Simi Valley Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer.

``I wasn't familiar with the program. As soon as she brought it to me I thought we should do this,'' he said. ``I think it has had a significant effect on everybody here. And we want people to understand what the significance of the lights are.''

Project Blue Light began during the 1988 holiday season when Dolly Craig put blue lights in the window of her Philadelphia home to honor son-in-law Danny Gleason, a police officer killed in the line of duty in 1986.

The program has been promoted ever since by Concerns of Police Survivors Inc., a national nonprofit group formed in 1984 to assist the survivors of slain police officers.

``In a nutshell, it's just to show support of law enforcement,'' COPS executive secretary Kathy Reinhart said of the project.

Layhew said Project Blue Light would have an impact on police officers any time of year. But the holiday season makes the message more poignant.

``Sometimes you think more about (the ultimate sacrifice) because it's a time when you think more about family and being part of that,'' he said.

Also, he stressed that the program is meant to encourage communities to look beyond their own sorrow.

``This program honors all officers. There's no intent to personalize it,'' he said.

Yet Rein said officers cannot help but reflect on Clark's fate when they see the blue lights.

``Any time there's any kind of memorial event, then obviously it (Clark's death) becomes much more prevalent in discussions and weighs on people's minds,'' he said. ``This type of incident can occur in a total unsuspecting manner, in a relatively quiet day, in a relatively quiet city.''

IN THE LINE OF DUTY

Here is a list of Ventura County law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

Ventura County sheriff's Deputy Peter John Aguirre: Shot and killed July 17, 1996, while responding to a report of a domestic dispute in Meiners Oaks.

Oxnard police Officer James R. Jensen Jr.: Killed March 13, 1996, during a drug raid when he was accidentally shot by another officer.

Simi Valley police Officer Michael F. Clark: Shot and killed Aug. 4, 1995, while responding to a report of a man threatening to commit suicide.

Oxnard police Officer James E. O'Brien: Killed Dec. 2, 1993, while chasing a man who had shot up the unemployment office in Oxnard, killing three and wounding four.

California Highway Patrol Officer James O'Connor: Killed Nov. 15, 1990, when an auto slammed head-on into his motorcycle.

CHP Officer David Copleman: Killed April 6, 1985, in a head-on auto crash while pursuing a suspect.

Oxnard police Officer John Adair: Shot and killed Oct. 7, 1980, while responding to a call of a family disturbance. His wife, a civilian who was a ride-along in her husband's patrol car, saw the shooting.

Ventura police Sgt. Darlon Dowell: Shot and killed Aug. 8, 1978, while trying to arrest two armed robbery suspects.

Ventura County sheriff's Sgt. Thomas Collins: Killed Oct. 25, 1975, when the main rotor of the helicopter he was piloting snagged power lines. The craft crashed in the Santa Clara River bed.

Oxnard police Officer Frederick Clark: Shot and killed Oct. 12, 1971, after responding to a call of a family disturbance.

Ventura County sheriff's Deputy Donald E. Haynie: Shot and killed by a 78-year-old Fillmore man June 5, 1970, while trying to arrest the man's son for selling drugs.

Ventura County sheriff's Deputy Chester Larson: Swept away in a flood Jan. 20, 1969, while trying to rescue six Boy Scouts and their adult leader from overflowing Sespe Creek north of Ojai. His body never was found.

Ventura County sheriff's Deputy Donald Gregory: Killed Sept. 9, 1961, when an oncoming car forced his patrol car off the road and into a power pole.

Ventura County sheriff's Deputy Earl Mendenhall: Killed July 15, 1961, when a prisoner he was transporting to the county jail grabbed the wheel of his patrol car, causing it to collide with another vehicle.

Ventura County reserve sheriff's Deputy Bryce Patton: A Ventura High School English teacher working as a volunteer officer, Patton was shot and killed Aug. 19, 1960, by two suspects while manning a roadblock aimed at stopping the suspects in a $150 liquor store robbery.

CHP Officer Robert E. Reed: Shot with his own gun Oct. 8, 1957, during a struggle with a suspect he was transporting to the county's psychiatric ward.

Oxnard police Detective Albert Gasperetti: Died April 15, 1956, of injuries suffered while directing traffic in 1950.

Santa Paula police Officer James E. Barmore: Killed Feb. 7, 1953, when his motorcycle skidded out of control on loose gravel and slammed into a parked pickup truck.

CHP Officer James H. Vande Weg: Killed July 12, 1945, when his motorcycle, speeding to a report of a traffic accident, was hit by a U.S. Navy truck that ran a stop light.

Ojai city Constable Harry Hunt: Killed March 1, 1943.

Ventura County Sheriff Edward G. McMartin: Shot and killed Aug. 20, 1921, during a shootout in Owensmouth (now Canoga Park) with a murder suspect.

Oxnard city Constable W.E. Kelly: Shot and killed Aug. 20, 1921, while trying to help McMartin apprehend a murder suspect.

Santa Paula city Marshal Henry N. Norman: Shot and killed Nov. 25, 1913, by a man he tried to arrest for disturbing the peace.

Deputy Constable Andrew W. McNaughton: Shot and killed March 16, 1906, while walking rounds in China Alley in Oxnard.

SOURCE: Ventura County Peace Officers Association, police departments.

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BOX: IN THE LINE OF DUTY (see text)