OFFICERS CAUGHT IN BULL'S-EYE NUMBER OF POLICE SHOOTINGS RISING IN ALARMING NUMBERS.

Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer

The fatal shooting of a California Highway Patrol officer allegedly by a teenager trying to impress gang members marks the latest incident in a worsening trend of police in Los Angeles and elsewhere facing violent attacks, authorities said Friday.

Attacks against LAPD have jumped more than a third, from 29 in 2002 to 40 last year, as suspects become more brazen. Law enforcement officials now are looking to create a multiagency task force to deal with the growing number of ambushes of officers.

``People in law enforcement are targets,'' said Los Angeles Police Protective League President Bob Baker, whose union represents the Los Angeles Police Department's rank and file.

``The leaders of this city, county and state need to realize there's a war on the streets, and we need to address it now.''

Sixteen-year-old Valentino Arenas was charged with murder in the death of CHP Officer Thomas Steiner, who was gunned down Wednesday outside a Superior Courthouse in Pomona. Authorities said Arenas killed the 35-year-old officer as a gang initiation or to bolster his reputation among gang members.

William Spelman, a professor of public affairs at the University of Texas in Austin, said the incident was not typical of gang behavior.

``This is just one crazy guy trying to impress his gang,'' said Spelman, who developed several community-based policing programs on the East Coast, and has written books on criminal-justice policies. ``It doesn't make any logical sense for a gang to do this on a regular basis. It's suicidal.''

Steiner's is the most recent in a string of law enforcement officer killings this year.

In San Francisco, a 29-year-old officer was shot and killed this month after approaching a suspected gang member who suddenly opened fire with an AK-47 semiautomatic rifle.

In Merced, a police officer was fatally shot earlier this month by a man he pulled over for a traffic stop.

And in February, a parolee shot and killed a Los Angeles police officer during a domestic-violence investigation.

Some believe the spate of fatal shootings signals something more ominous than the kind of peril officers usually face.

``I've been at this 35 years and I've never seen such a wanton disregard for life,'' said CHP Commissioner D.O. ``Spike'' Helmick. ``We've had shootings over the years, but, man. It may be coincidence, but it does seem very strange to me.''

Los Angeles police say, on average, that one or more of their officers are fired upon each week. Few of the incidents have resulted in injuries.

Baker said gunmen are becoming bolder, firing at officers with assault weapons, out in the open and in front of witnesses.

Two officers were killed recently in confrontations with armed gang members. Burbank police Officer Matthew Pavelka, 26, was killed in November after a gunbattle with two suspected gang members outside a Burbank hotel.

In February, LAPD Officer Ricardo Lizarraga was killed during a scuffle with a parolee, Kenrick William Johnson. Johnson, who faced murder charges, committed suicide by hanging himself in jail shortly after his arrest, police said.

Lizarraga's boss, Capt. Fabian Lizarraga (no relation) said that his officers are still reeling from the loss but continue to push forward.

``We can't let these thugs take over,'' said Lizarraga, who heads Newton Division patrol. ``We're going to continue to work to make the streets safe. That's what we came here to do.''

Wes McBride, president of the California Gang Investigators Association, said a flourishing of street gangs amid fiscal cuts to law enforcement anti-gang units and the attention given by the media to an officer's killing could also be contributing to the trend.

``The gangs are getting more bold,'' McBride said. ``Gang members are taking on coppers more often than ever.''

The upsurge in attacks has led some officials to move toward increasing protection for officers.

The Los Angeles City Council, for instance, increased the award offered for information on crimes committed against police to $75,000 from $25,000 following the shooting of an officer in the Nickerson Gardens housing project.

In addition, Helmick said he contacted other top law enforcement officials about planning a joint strategy for protecting officers and dealing with their assailants.

LAPD Deputy Chief Earl Paysinger, who heads the South Bureau, has dealt with the brunt of the problem. About half of the 55 attacks across the city since January 2003 occurred in Paysinger's jurisdiction.

About a dozen attacks occurred in just one division, in the Southeast Division near downtown - an area that covers 150,000 residents over a dense 10.2-square-mile area.

``They have their share of gangs,'' Paysinger said. ``They have a pretty profound gang problem.''

Paysinger recalled recent close calls.

In January, police in Southeast Division tried to stop a car near the Nickerson Gardens housing projects when two men inside pulled out assault weapons and began firing. They were eventually arrested without anyone getting hurt.

In February, a man pulled out an assault rifle and shot at a police car containing two officers who didn't have time to get out. They ducked and eventually arrested the man without suffering any injuries.

In the Valley, two motorcycle officers were shot at in September in Van Nuys. The shooter was arrested after a short pursuit that ended in a cul-de- sac. There were no injuries.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jason Kandel, [phone]

jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com