K-9 IN LINE OF FIRE : GROUP TO HONOR LAPD OFFICER'S HEROIC PARTNER.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

At 74 pounds, he is one of the Los Angeles Police Department's toughest. He took a bullet and still detained the man who shot him, an act that will be commended this week at a police conference in Indiana.

Marko is a Hollandaise herder, a rare breed of dog sometimes called a Dutch shepherd. The 4-1/2-year-old canine lives with his handler, LAPD Officer Jim Hagerty, in Santa Clarita and is one of 16 people-sniffing dogs in the Police Department's Metropolitan Division.

Dogs Against Drugs/Dogs Against Crime, founded by a police officer in Anderson, Ind., several years ago, will honor Marko during the three-day workshop that begins Thursday and is expected to draw more than 100 canine handlers and their dogs from police departments around the country.

Marko was shot Feb. 1 during a police gunbattle in Hollywood. The bullet wound was deep enough to graze the dog's skull, and required 10 stitches to close, Hagerty said.

Police subsequently killed the man in the shootout. ``He was shooting at us, but he hit Marko,'' Hagerty said.

Hagerty, a 13-year veteran, credits his canine partner with protecting him and his fellow Metro officers.

``He told us where the suspect was, but he also was the best diversion we could have, by keeping the suspect at bay while we could safely approach,'' Hagerty said.

``Marko was in the line of our fire, too,'' he noted. ``We had to return fire and protect ourselves. Marko was in the way - I can't believe he didn't die in this.''

It hasn't been a very good year for the police dog, who had recently returned to duty from a back injury when he was shot. ``He got hurt on a search last November. While searching under a house, a board fell on his back,'' Hagerty said.

Then, on Sept. 3, one of Marko's hind legs was crushed during a police search in South Central Los Angeles.

Marko had found two robbery suspects and police officers were searching for the gun used in the crime. The dog alerted on a trash can piled high with debris, including a cement block that fell off and crushed Marko's right leg.

The animal still sports a cast, and could be out of commission for three more months while the leg heals, Hagerty said.

``He's not happy about it. He's really restless,'' Hagerty said of his four-legged partner. ``If it doesn't heal, there's a possibility (doctors) will have to amputate a couple of his toes.''

Hagerty became a canine handler the same time Marko became a police dog; they are the only partners the other has ever had. They trained together for six months before Marko was ready to hit the streets.

Marko, he said, has a friendly temperament and a strong hunting drive, his master said - but molding him into a police dog was a challenge. ``He was hard to train,'' Hagerty said. ``He was pretty stubborn.''

Eventually, Marko learned to trust his handler. ``A dog has a pack mentality, so they have to learn who's the boss and who's the leader of the pack,'' Hagerty said.

``He's a real intense dog. He does everything at 90 mph, whether he's playing or working,'' said the officer, assigned to desk duty while Marko convalesces. When his injury heals, the dog will have to pass a recertification test to return to police duty, Hagerty said.

Sgt. Donn Yarnall, the chief trainer for Metro's canine platoon, bought Marko for $4,000 during one of the DADDAC conferences a few years ago. While most of the LAPD's dogs are German shepherds or Malinois breeds, Yarnall was impressed by Marko's conduct in some workshop demonstrations he conducted at the seminar.

``After I tested him, I bought him on the spot,'' Yarnall said. ``He's one of the finest dogs I've ever known, truly. That's a cliche, but it's absolutely true.''

Through his police career, Marko has lived up to that early promise, Yarnall said, noting the dog had done great work the day he was shot.

``There was a suspect who had pulled an armed street robbery on some patrons of a restaurant,'' Yarnall said. The victims flagged down some patrol officers, who began combing the neighborhood.

``Marko tracked the suspect into somebody's back yard,'' Yarnall said. ``The suspect fired on (police) and Marko was hit in the head, but it didn't deter him. He went in the face of the gunfire, and was able to give the officers enough time to deploy.''

Marko found the man hiding behind a large palm tree in the corner of the yard. He grabbed hold of the gunman's leg and threw the man off balance, as the fatal gunfight ensued from which officers emerged unscathed.

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Photo: (color) It's been a tough year for LAPD dog Marko, with his handler, Officer Jim Hagerty of Santa Clarita.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News