PUBLIC SAFETY MEDAL OF VALOR 6 SOUTHLAND POLICE OFFICERS ARE CITED FOR THEIR COURAGE.

Byline: HARRISON SHEPPARD Sacramento Bureau

Los Angeles police officers Jeffrey Jensen and Paul Waymire were returning from a routine radio call Oct. 16, 2005, when they came across a multi-car pileup on the 170 Freeway near Interstate 5 in North Hollywood.

Approaching the scene, they noticed a driver pinned inside one of the cars as it filled with smoke.

``Then the car caught on fire as we were working on him,'' Waymire recalled. ``And then it became a race against time to get him out. We were finally able to get him out about two seconds before the car exploded. We were lucky.''

That was the first day the two officers had worked together in the LAPD's Mission Division.

Their quick and lifesaving actions earned them law enforcement's highest honor Wednesday as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger honored six Southern California police officers with the Public Safety Medal of Valor.

``Each of these brave men have shown extraordinary strength, extraordinary courage and selflessness and went way, way beyond the call of duty to protect the lives of their fellow officers and to keep the public safe,'' Schwarzenegger said in a ceremony at the Capitol.

``Their split-second decisions, made in the most difficult and challenging situations, made the difference between life and death or between having criminals on the street or taking them off the streets.''

Also receiving the medal were:

LAPD officers Troy Zeeman and Bryan Gregson of the Harbor Division, who engaged in a shootout with a violent gang member, wounding him and successfully arresting him while avoiding injury themselves.

Officer Frank Tolerico of the Fontana Police Department, who was shot in a struggle with a gang member. He killed the suspect and returned to the job six weeks after taking a bullet to the neck.

Officer Patrick ``Tank'' Sears of the Ventura Police Department, who braved downed power and gas lines to assist victims trapped in the La Conchita mudslide in January 2005.

The mudslide, caused by heavy rains, sent some 450,000 tons of soil crashing down on the coastal Ventura County hamlet, wiping out more than a dozen homes, killing 10 people and injuring many others.

The six were chosen from among 98 nominees forwarded to the Medal of Valor Review Board. The board, composed of various law enforcement organizations, sends its recommendations to the attorney general, who forwards his recommendations to the governor.

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger places the Medal of Valor award around the neck of Troy Zeeman of the Los Angeles Police Department during a ceremony at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Wednesday, as other medal award winners watch.

Brian Baer/Sacramento Bee