THE VALLEY'S MOST WANTED; LAPD WARNING: `YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE' : POLICE IN THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY HAVE SINGLED OUT THE FOLLOWING FUGITIVES WHO ARE AMONG THE MOST WANTED.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Staff Writer

It took Los Angeles fugitive detectives about a week to track down Rosalie Negrete, a Pacoima woman who they say became a fugitive after violating her probation for a cocaine possession conviction.

One down - more than 12,000 Los Angeles fugitives to go, including 3,500 who are accused of committing crimes in the San Fernando Valley.

Police say time is on their side, as they have captured fugitives who had been on the lam for as many as 25 years and had started new lives.

``You can run, but you can't hide,'' warned Los Angeles police Detective David Harrison, of the Fugitive Warrant Section. ``It may not be today or in a month or six months from now. But we're going to catch you.''

From more than 18 filing cabinets stuffed with warrants dating to the 1970s, the detectives methodically track down Los Angeles' most wanted fugitives.

From Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the 12-member fugitive detail's Valley squad tracked down fugitives and served them with 210 felony warrants for spousal abuse, molestations, attempt murders, robberies and other felonies in the San Fernando Valley alone.

Citywide, 1,171 felony warrants were served Jan. 1 throughout Aug. 31.

Of the 12,000 fugitives in Los Angeles, 715 are wanted on murder warrants, said Detective Michael Arias, in charge of the LAPD's out-of-state felony warrants and all murder warrants.

About two-thirds of the fugitives are wanted for narcotics violations, usually cocaine.

The scent of the hunt

Tracking down fugitives takes a mix of talent and luck.

``They're smarter than the average person who goes out there and commits a crime,'' Harrison said. ``They talk to their relatives and tell them to lie.''

In the case of 51-year-old Negrete, detectives say it didn't take much sleuth work to find her. She had once listed a Pacoima address during a previous arrest, so police returned there not once, but three times.

The first two times, Negrete's mother told them she wasn't there, Harrison said. But detectives staked out the house and saw her sitting on the couch near the window.

``That was an easy one,'' Harrison said.

Sometimes fugitives take so much pride in their flight from police that they brag to friends and family - blowing their cover.

``We do a lot of old-fashioned police work - talking to family members and gang members to try to dig this person out,'' Harrison said.

The fugitive detectives re-interview witnesses, who may willing to talk more openly after the initial shock of the crime has worn off.

And sometimes, the extra time works to the detectives' advantage when fugitives return to where they committed the crime, thinking they've had enough time to ``cool off,'' Harrison said.

Spanning the globe

City and even national boundries don't stop the hunt. The detectives travel throughout the United States, sometimes using a department airplane based at Van Nuys Airport.

Some fugitives flee the country, in which case the LAPD's Foreign Prosecution Unit takes command.

Currently, the top areas out of the country for flight are Mexico and Central America, because of the high Latino population in Los Angeles, said Detective Fernando Gonzalez of the LAPD's Foreign Prosecution Unit.

In the Foothill Division alone, about 60 percent of the unsolved or warrant homicides involve suspects who have fled the country, said Sgt. Mark Aragon of the LAPD's Foothill Division.

But even when detectives confirm a fugitive is in Mexico, it's not easy to capture them, Aragon said. Part of the problem, he said, is the Mexican authorities are reluctant to help.

``It's frustrating. We have no police status. We get some cooperation from some cities. But most of the time, we don't get cooperation,'' he said.

And when LAPD detectives are given permission to go into Mexico, they are there as visitors, said Officer Joe Bahena, of the LAPD's Foreign Prosecution Unit.

``We can't do police work on our own. They have to be by our side,'' Bahena said.

Running for cover

When the police finally track down fugitives, the outcome can be violent - or peaceful, as in Negrete's case.

Five detectives in undercover cars calmly knocked on her door and arrested Negrete without any problems. They allowed her time to get her medication and to say ``goodbye'' to her mother.

But it's not always that easy, Harrison said.

Sometimes the suspects try to hide, in an attic, under piles of clothes or - as in one of Harrison's cases - between a mattress and boxspring.

``He was like a contortionist. He was holding his breath so the mattress wouldn't go up and down,'' Harrison said. ``We also found a small girl in a heater vent, where she got stuck and the fire department had to help get her out recently.''

And surprisingly, sometimes the fugitive is simply relieved to be caught.

``Most of the people who are on the run are glad they're caught,'' he said, ``because they're tired of running and looking around their shoulders.''

CAPTION(S):

8 photos, 2 boxes

Photo: (1 -- color) Emilio Barrios Perez

(2 -- color) Luiz Guezada

(3 -- color) Jose Ruvalcaba

(4 -- color) Ramon Reyes

(5 -- color) Juan Carlos Garcia

(6 -- color) Boris Gerge ``Booney'' Graham

(7 -- color) Hector Lozano

(8 -- color) Alejandro Puente Ramos

Box: (1) The valley's most wanted

(2) Helping the police