EDITORIAL : LAPD IS TOP GUN AGAIN.

WITH the acquisition of 600 M-16 rifles from the Army, no longer will the LAPD be outgunned by thugs on the streets of Los Angeles.

But will L.A.'s streets be safer?

Certainly for the brave men and women who place themselves in harm's way, the arrival of the M-16 semiautomatic weapons will be a welcome backup.

In the aftermath of February's deadly shootout in North Hollywood during a failed bank robbery, the Los Angeles Police Department had no choice but to ratchet up its firepower. The two gunmen - armed with high-powered rifles and outfitted in full body armor - managed to keep squads of police at bay until officers borrowed semiautomatic weapons from a nearby gun store. Both gunmen were killed in the shootout.

After the siege, the Police Commission wisely approved the use of more high-powered weapons, including .45-caliber handguns, and increased the training for officers to use shotguns and assault weapons such as the M-16.

The powerful rifles, standard issue in the military, will replace aging equipment used by the Metro Division. They will be issued only to uniformed sergeants citywide to carry in the trunks of their cars to be used in emergencies.

It is a measured and appropriate response to the increased dangers posed by criminals who display a brazen disregard for human life.

We are confident that LAPD officers will be trained in the careful and judicious use of such powerful weapons and that criminal elements will be deterred just by knowing that they will meet their match when they go up against L.A.'s finest.