MACHINERY KEEPS LAPD SITE RATTLED.

Byline: Deborah Sullivan Daily News Staff Writer

If you thought fighting street criminals takes nerves of steel, try working in the LAPD's central offices.

Mechanical monsters are chewing up earth and demolishing a parking structure next to Parker Center to clear ground for a new emergency operations building. Noise, vibrations and dust have assaulted the Los Angles Police Department headquarters, driving office workers to distraction.

``You've got a combination of rock concert-level noise with 6.0-plus earthquake vibrations, and you had that on top of a dust bowl that makes you feel like you should be Henry Fonda leaving Oklahoma in the early '30s,'' said Police Commission spokesman Ken Ferber, whose office window overlooks the mayhem.

``You could literally taste dust. We had ceiling tiles drop a couple days ago. Everything rattles.''

Massive cranes with metallic jaws chomped a forest of steel reinforcement rods during a recent Police Commission meeting. On Friday, a huge hydraulic drill pummeled concrete slabs. Workers complain of headaches and asthma attacks from the din and dust.

``It drives me nuts,'' said secretary Lorrie Grado. ``With all that ruckus out there it's horrible. It adds to the tension.''

LAPD Cmdr. Dave Kalish, a department spokesman, said the disruption is a necessary price to pay for the new emergency operations center. And most officers are taking the commotion in stride.

``The police officers all grew up playing with Tonka trucks, so they're all sidewalk superintending,'' said Detective Steven Hales.

Hales, supervisor of a child-abuse investigation team, said the demolition equipment - resembling mechanical dinosaurs on a rampage - actually cheers up children who visit the station, distracting them from their real-life problems.

Officials say the city Public Works Department has made efforts to reduce the nuisance of the demolition, including posting notices to give advance warning about the hours when noise will be at its worst, as well as watering down the site to minimize dust. Also, officials decided to forgo some equipment such as wrecking balls and dynamite in favor of subtler means such as bulldozers and cranes.

Still, ``it's pretty hard to eliminate all the noise and dust,'' said Clark Robins, principal structural engineer.

Ferber acknowledged that workers' worst fears have been assuaged.

``One thing I'll say for these construction guys is, boy, do they handle that equipment well. They're coming within a pinpoint of the building. And these are giant machines,'' Ferber said. ``The fear of them crashing into the building never materialized.''

The demolition work involving pounding and vibration began about two months ago and will be complete within 30 days, construction officials said Friday.

Construction of the new building will start in the fall.