COP'S SPREAD HAS LAPD BLUE.

Byline: Martin Kuz Staff Writer

In a dubious first for the Los Angeles Police Department, a San Fernando Valley patrol officer flashed more than her badge for Playboy Magazine, leaving the scandal-plagued agency facing yet another public relations headache.

The six-page layout of Officer Ginger Harrison, 28, of the Foothill Division in the magazine's July issue could trigger more problems for a department trying to recover from the Rampart scandal, low morale and recruiting woes.

Yet Harrison believes her nude pictorial, titled ``The Arresting Officer Ginger,'' will actually polish the LAPD's image, Playboy spokesman Bill Farley said.

``She feels that this is a very valuable thing for a woman in a dangerous and male-dominated profession - to be able to show other women that you can retain your feminine side,'' Farley said. ``She also hopes that this encourages other young women to join the LAPD.''

But don't expect the department - which just unveiled a recruiting campaign featuring the catch-phrase ``Do Good'' - to begin using Playboy as a recruiting tool.

Police spokesman Lt. Horace Frank said LAPD officials have contacted the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office to determine whether Harrison violated any rules.

``We just became aware of it,'' Frank said. ``We're certainly going to look and see if there are any policy issues to discuss. If there is a policy issue, then we would take appropriate steps to address that.''

The City Attorney's Office had no immediate comment.

Harrison did not wear - or shed, for that matter - her LAPD uniform for the Playboy shoot, according to Farley, nor were official department vehicles or equipment used.

The pictorial features black-and-white photos of the leggy blonde in a police uniform making a mock arrest, and color pictures of her wearing little more than her birthday suit.

The New York Police Department fired Officer Carol Shaya in 1994 for appearing nude in Playboy. The agency cited Shaya's wearing of her uniform and badge for the pictorial in dismissing her from the force. She received $100,000 for the photo essay titled ``NYPD Nude.''

In a similar case, NYPD patrolman Edward ``Fast Eddie'' Mallia quit the force after posing nude for Playgirl in 1995. He faced an administrative trial on charges that he violated agency policies regulating off-duty employment. Mallia received $5,000 for his layout.

Frank said that to his knowledge no LAPD officer has previously posed nude for Playboy, Playgirl or any other publication.

Farley said the pictorial ``is the first time we've had a West Coast officer show her beauty.''

Police union officials steered clear Tuesday of questions regarding Harrison. Mitzi Grasso, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, and Vice President Bob Baker both declined comment.

``I want to stay entirely out of that,'' Grasso said.

Harrison could not be reached for comment Tuesday. She told Playboy she moved to California from her native Michigan at age 19, intent on following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather, both retired FBI agents.

Instead, with the FBI in a hiring freeze, Harrison wound up joining the LAPD six years ago. The magazine writes that in ``a macho environment like law enforcement, Ginger has had to overcome a lot of sexist stereotypes both on the force and on the street.''

``We women definitely have to prove ourselves,'' Harrison is quoted as saying. ``... As long as you can show that you're one of the boys - that you can hang in there and fight with them when you need to - you're in.''

Farley said Harrison's husband, with whom she has a 1-year-old daughter, encouraged her to pose for the magazine. Her husband has a friend who knows a Playboy photographer, and the couple contacted the photographer about six months ago, he said.

The appearance of a police officer in the pages of Playboy follows the magazine's tradition of showcasing women with ``unusual occupations'' or affiliations, Farley said. Previous pictorials have featured a mortician, TV broadcasters and members of Mensa.

Harrison will receive a ``six-figure sum'' for her pictorial, Farley said, adding that the figure is ``far less'' than $1 million.

She will sign copies of the July issue of Playboy from 5 to 7 tonight at Tower Records in Sherman Oaks.

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Photo:

(color) LAPD Officer Ginger Harrison, 28, as seen in the pages of Playboy Magazine's July issue.