SCHOLARSHIPS HONOR DEPUTY ARMENIAN-AMERICAN OFFICERS HOLD CEREMONY.

Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer

Five students received scholarships Sunday in memory of slain sheriff's Deputy Hogop ``Jake'' Kuredjian, whose name will live on as more Armenian youths pursue careers in law enforcement.

Sheriff Lee Baca, Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams and several others also were honored by the Armenian National Peace Officers Association during the group's first-ever scholarship ceremony.

The association formed last year with the intention of encouraging more Armenian youths to consider careers in law enforcement.

Kuredjian ``lived a life of pride, a life of wisdom,'' Baca said. ``His name will always be at the forefront of what it is to be Armenian-American.''

Some of the money used for the scholarships was raised by 14-year-old Austin Losorelli, a Stevenson Ranch resident who collected donations in memory of Kuredjian. Losorelli set up a table and a sign at the corner of Stevenson Ranch Parkway a day after Kuredjian was killed in 2001.

``My dad is an LAPD officer. I just felt bad for (Kuredjian's) family,'' Losorelli said.

With help from his brother Ian, he raised $8,000, and the association also honored him on Sunday with a plaque presented by Kuredjian's brother, Garo, who told the boy, ``This is long overdue.''

The slain deputy, a 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, was helping serve a search warrant Aug. 31, 2001, in Stevenson Ranch when a man opened fire from an upstairs window, hitting the deputy once in the head.

Last month, the deputy's memory was honored with a dedication ceremony at a new park, named Jake Kuredjian Park, next to Pico Canyon Elementary School in Santa Clarita.

Steve Shenian, a California Highway Patrol officer and the co-founder of the Armenian National Peace Officers Association, said the group has about 90 members in seven states.

The association's goal is to encourage young Armenian-Americans to consider law enforcement as a professional career. Glendale's Armenian community, the largest outside of Armenia, has been slowly embracing the profession, officials said, but more work needs to be done.

``We need to get in and break barriers,'' Shenian said. ``We need to go into local schools and visit groups. When the children see an Armenian officer in uniform, it's powerful.''

The Glendale Police Department has tried with limited success to attract more Armenian youths to its ranks.

``Law enforcement is extremely important to the Armenian community,'' said Glendale Mayor Bob Yousefian. ``I'm not one to say our community doesn't have issues. We need help to deal with these issues.''

Seventeen Glendale Police Department officers are Armenian-American - only two more than there were in 1995.

``A lot of Armenians think law enforcement is not an honorable career, because from where they came from, law enforcement had a bad image, and they are afraid,'' said 20-year-old Diana Arzrounian, a California State University, Northridge, student and winner of one of the Kuredjian scholarships. ``We need more programs, such as this one, to talk about ... what law enforcement really is. It's not just about arresting people.''

Ross Simonian, Sabina Simonian, Sara Vardapetyan, and Mourad Kabanjian also received $500 each in memorial scholarships.

Susan Abram, [phone]

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color -- ran in SAC edition only) Austin Losorelli, 14, center, stands between slain sheriff's Deputy Hogop ``Jake'' Kuredjian's mother, Anahid Kuredjian, and another relative, Dikran Ourichian, at a ceremony Sunday.

(2 -- ran in SAC edition only) Sheriff Lee Baca, left, poses with four of five Deputy Jake Kuredjian Memorial Scholarship winners at award ceremonies on Sunday in Glendale. From left are Sabina Simonian, Diana Arzrounian, Ross Simonian and Sara Vardapetyan.

(3 -- ran in SAC edition only) Anahid Kuredjian stands Sunday at a ceremony for scholarship grants in honor of her son Jake, a slain deputy.

Matthew Simmons/Special to the Daily News