11 Officers Awarded Medals of Valor : Law enforcement: Police Chief Willie L. Williams presides at the ceremony honoring the LAPD men and women who put their lives on the line for others.

Doing something heroic was the last thing traffic Officer James H. Wallace had in mind as he headed home on the San Diego Freeway one night last November, and suddenly spotted a motorist trapped in a burning vehicle on a steep embankment.

“I just kind of reacted before I had time to think,” said Wallace, 31. “To be truthful, I was scared to death. I didn’t want to do it, but I was the only one there. If anything, you could call me a reluctant hero.”

Forcing open the car door, Wallace reached through the flames and grabbed the driver by the collar, pulling him out of the vehicle. Then, as the surrounding brush ignited, he hoisted the unconscious driver over his shoulder and carried him 60 yards up the hillside to safety.

Wallace and 10 other Los Angeles police officers who demonstrated “bravery above and beyond the call of duty” were awarded the LAPD’s highest honor at the 33rd Annual Medal of Valor Awards Luncheon on Wednesday sponsored by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel.

“Officers are involved in heroic acts every day of the week and don’t receive the recognition they deserve for the work they do,” said Police Chief Willie L. Williams, who presided over the event. “This is an opportunity to stop, take time and say thanks.”

In all, 396 Los Angeles police officers have been awarded the Medal of Valor for acts of bravery over the years. This year’s ceremony was presided over by Williams and narrated by actor Robert Stack, famous for his television role as federal agent Elliot Ness. Officer Jon Hurd, who works in the Foothill Division where motorist Rodney G. King was beaten by police, was honored for demonstrating bravery in a shootout with an armed suspect. He said he hopes the awards ceremony will show police officers and their work in a more positive light. “Hopefully, people will see that the great majority of us are not bad,” he said. “Hopefully, it will touch some hearts.” Others recognized for their bravery were:

* Officers David Porras, 31, and John Tarankow, 28, who braved the flames of a burning motel in North Hollywood to rescue five people on Jan. 1, 1991.

* Officers Marie Craig, 35, and Manuel Argomaniz, 29, who crawled through a smoke-filled apartment building in the Southeast area--leaving the building four times for fresh air--to rescue a 5-year-old unconscious boy.

* Officer Michel Skajem Jr., 24, who protected a mentally disabled man in the direct line of a suspect’s fire.

* Detectives Patrick Metoyer Sr., and Loren Wells, 45, who risked their lives to rescue two fellow officers injured in a fire that started as the officers investigated illegal fireworks at a Rampart-area apartment building.

* Officers Hurd, 30, and Richard Householder, 32, who were both seriously wounded in a shootout with an armed suspect. The officers returned the fire, each stepping from his place of cover to protect his partner.

* Officer Earl Valladares, 46, who faced “violent gunfire” during a Feb. 11, 1991, shootout with a man who fatally wounded his partner, Officer Tina Kerbrat. Valladares shot and killed the gunman.