POLICE CHIEF DEFENDS SIS UNIT; PARKS SAYS OFFICERS NEEDED FOR TOUGHEST CASES.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

Breaking his silence on the fatal shooting of two Reseda robbery suspects, Chief Bernard C. Parks defended Special Investigations Section officers Wednesday, saying they are needed to handle the city's toughest cases.

``When the SIS is involved, it's already been established these are the worst of the worst suspects. They're confronted with that on a daily basis,'' Parks said in his weekly news conference.

The SIS is under federal investigation for the fatal shooting of two men over the weekend, when officers said they followed the men from a travel agency robbery. The suspects reached into their waistbands, possibly for weapons, according to officers. Coroner's investigators said preliminary autopsies show the men were shot in the back.

``When people talk about disbanding this unit, they ought to talk to Bill Cosby,'' Parks said, referring to the SIS arrest of the man convicted of murdering Cosby's son, Ennis Cosby. ``They ought to talk to the man whose son was kidnapped and we found at the border.

Parks said he would not discuss details about the shooting until an investigation is completed. He also would not comment on reports the FBI is also looking at the case.

The chief did reject notions that the suspects had been shot in the back.

``We can't control when people turn,'' Parks said. ``The placement of those shots is secondary.''

The 34-year-old unit has been the subject of controversy for a number of years. SIS officers have been accused of allowing suspects to commit crimes and then following them to make arrests. In that period, 34 suspects were shot and killed.

Steve Yagman, an attorney who has sued the LAPD over the SIS unit, said Los Angeles has the only department with such a squad, and he questioned why Parks would defend the unit.

``No other city has a death squad that goes out and puts constant surveillance on people they believe are criminals,'' Yagman said. ``They let people commit crime, placing innocent people at risk, and then murder the suspects after they commit a crime. This unit kills at least one person every year and often has as many as four to five a year.''

Also on Wednesday, Parks warned that Los Angeles is a ``target rich'' environment for terrorism and hate crimes, such as last week's shooting at the North Valley Jewish Community Center.

Parks escalated his call for tougher gun-control laws, including a ban on assault weapons and cheap handguns called Saturday-night specials.

``Anyone who chooses to pick a target will find a target-rich environment in Los Angeles. You can tell any trauma going on in the world by the protests in front of our federal buildings,'' he said, noting the city's ethnic diversity.

Such an environment, Parks said, lends even more credence for the need to seek tougher controls on gun ownership and for limiting the type of weapons available for sale in the country.

At the same time, Parks took on the National Rifle Association by saying it was time for the organization to ``stop hiding behind a constitutional protection that doesn't exist.''

Parks said the Second Amendment does not guarantee that all types of weapons should be made available to the general public.

``There are some weapons that are not designed for hunting or the protection of one's home,'' Parks said. ``These are weapons with one purpose - to kill people.

Officials with the NRA could not be reached for comment.

Parks said he thinks Americans are tired of efforts to block reforms of gun ownership.

``The NRA has had its way for quite a while. I think they should go to some of the funerals of people killed with these guns,'' he said.

Parks stated he wants to regulate all gun sales by limiting them to stores.