Heavy-Mettle Acts : Police: An event honoring Santa Ana officers for extraordinary work includes video re-enactments of their deeds.

Officer Robin Childress is called to the scene of a gang fight where he finds three men beating a victim unconscious. He orders them to stop. When they refuse, Childress draws his gun and shoots and injures two of them. The third man charges towards the officer with a club and he too is shot and injured by Childress.

This scene, which was played on a large screen at the Doubletree Hotel Thursday, looked real enough, but it was actually a video re-enactment of a real-life drama that took place last November in Santa Ana.

For Childress, 30, re-enacting the incident in front of a video camera with actors instead of criminals was easy compared to the actual event, which he said was the most traumatic of his seven-year law enforcement career.

“God willing, I’ll never have to go through anything like that again,” he said.

Childress was one of 19 officers honored by the Santa Ana Police Department for lifesaving, bravery and special achievements at the department’s annual awards ceremony.

The ceremony, usually a low-key affair held in the city’s council chambers, went Hollywood this year with a luncheon and video re-enactments similar to those used on the television series “Rescue 911.”

The 30-second video presentations starred the officers themselves as well as volunteer actors and included re-enactments of shootouts and harrowing rescues. The videos featured music and narration and were put together by the department’s training and video crew.

After the spotlight was turned off and the applause had died down Thursday, Childress said the ceremony was the boost that many in the department needed, especially at a time when negative publicity such as the Rodney G. King incident in Los Angeles plagues many police departments.

“Unfortunately,” Childress said as he clutched his shining medal, “right now is a pretty unpopular time to be a policeman.”

With this in mind, Police Chief Paul M. Walters decided to pull out all the stops this year when honoring members of his force.

“I think that during this time period, with all of the negative things being said, it’s really crucial to recognize the outstanding work that these officers have to perform each day,” Walters said. “What we recognized during this ceremony are only the highlights.”

In addition to Childress, Sgt. Dan Beaumarchais also received the day’s highest honor, the Police Service Medal.

Beaumarchais, 38, saved a suspected car thief from falling off the edge of the San Diego Freeway last October. The man had abandoned the stolen car and run away. In an attempt to hide from officers, he clung to a 4-inch ledge below a railing and nearly fell to his death. As two California Highway Patrol officers held Beaumarchais’ legs, the sergeant was lowered over a railing and pulled the man to safety.

“I didn’t have time to think,” Beaumarchais said after viewing the video re-enactment. “I just reacted.”

When Boudewijn (Bo) Herter was honored during the ceremony as the 1990 Officer of the Year, he was lauded for implementing a program that resulted in 263 vice arrests and for using “innovative and non-traditional policing methods.”

There was no mention that Boudewijn, 26, does his police work with a deformed right hand, the result of a birth defect.

“He likes to be treated like everyone else,” Walters explained. “He’s really extraordinary and has been a tremendous assest and an outstanding employee. He has compensated for his disability well.”

Boudewijn, who downplays his birth defect, said he was glad to be recognized strictly for his performance “instead of as an inspiration.”

“I’m just trying to be the best police officer that I can be,” he said. “I love wearing the uniform. It’s an exciting job and I’m proud of it.”

Others honored during the ceremony were: Cpl. Steve Hawkins, Cpl. Nick Gutierrez, Cpl. Alan Caddell, Sgt. Raul Luna, Investigator Robin Arostegui, Investigator Frank Stastny, and officers Michael Buelna, Ronald Dryva, Theron Reed, Steve Ahearn, William Casey, Randall Sato, Steve Serrano, Melody Rose, Rufus Tanksley and John Crews.