Officer’s Death Casts Pall at Awards Lunch : Heroes: L.A. fire and law enforcement officials salute 10 Valley honorees amid knowledge that one of their own, a veteran policeman, had just died.

If there is perhaps one universal conviction among police and firefighters, it is that every day they go to work they might save a life, or they could just as easily lose their own.

Both the benevolent and the fatal aspects of that reality were underscored Thursday when Los Angeles police and fire officials gathered to honor 10 San Fernando Valley officers who had distinguished themselves by outstanding achievements over the past year. Among the honorees was a firefighter who helped pluck several people from the raging Los Angeles River during last year’s floods, saving them from near-certain death.

But in the middle of the packed luncheon, the celebrants were told by Police Chief Willie L. Williams that one of their own had just died following an on-the-job collision the day before.

Police Officer Raymond (Skip) Messerly Jr., 42, of Acton was taken off life-support systems at Northridge Hospital Medical Center about 12:45 p.m. He died of massive trauma to the head and neck, police said. He was survived by his wife, Marie, and six children, including 11-year-old triplets.

Messerly, a Valley Traffic Division motorcycle officer, was hospitalized after colliding with a car on Wednesday at Sepulveda and Victory boulevards in Van Nuys.

Police investigators believe that Messerly, pursuing a suspected traffic violator, rode into an oncoming traffic lane, accelerated his motorcycle to 30 m.p.h. and struck a car turning left in front of him. He was thrown over the car and landed 30 feet away, striking his head on the curb.

When Williams made the announcement, there was an audible sigh from the more than 300 officers and guests at the Airtel Plaza Hotel. The 13th annual recognition luncheon was supposed to be a happy day amid a year full of controversy and bad publicity for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Instead, the event became more of a wake.

“He faithfully served Los Angeles citizens for 12 years,” Deputy Police Chief Mark A. Kroeker told the audience. “He leaves behind with us a tremendous void.”

Privately, Kroeker said afterward: “It tears you up. You feel so proud and so sad at the same time. It’s hard to sort out all the emotions.”

Normally a man of restraint, Kroeker used the opportunity to vent his frustration at the many critics he said have unfairly put police officers through the wringer since the beating of Rodney G. King and the riots of last spring. He said the vast majority of officers were just like Messerly--hard-working and dedicated to their families and community.

“This guy deserved a lot more attention than he got when he was alive,” said Kroeker, who commands all police divisions in the San Fernando Valley. “Now, we’ll have to give it to him at his funeral. Officers are human beings--they need to hear more support when they’re alive.”

Thursday’s ceremony was designed to do just that. For the 13th consecutive year, police and fire officials in the Valley gathered to salute and thank their own. The event, sponsored by Councilman Hal Bernson, honors men and women nominated by their captains for distinguishing themselves.

Charles Q. Fluharty of Task Force 90 at Van Nuys Airport was named one of two firefighters of the year for rescuing motorists from the flooded Sepulveda Basin in February. After helping retrieve some stranded drivers by helicopter, the 17-year veteran firetruck driver donned a flotation vest, jumped into the water and rescued several more. He then climbed back into the helicopter to perform several more rescues, Deputy Chief Don Anthony of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

“Certainly, we are very proud of him,” Anthony said.

Eight Los Angeles police officials and one paramedic also were given officer-of-the-year plaques.

Lt. Richard Meraz was honored for working overtime to set up Spanish classes for officers at Foothill Division, after members of the Latino community in the East Valley said too few police spoke their language. Meraz said the King beating made it hard for him and his fellow officers to build bridges to the community.

“It has been extremely tough, not just the incident but the aftermath,” he said after the ceremony. “We have lived in a fishbowl. In my 28 years, I have never experienced a more challenging, traumatic, intense time.”

Chief Williams told the audience that he liked the program so much that he is seeking $57,000 in private funding to keep it going.

Another recipient was Detective Michael R. Houchen, an 11-year veteran of the Valley Abused Child Unit. In past years, when budget constraints curtailed funding for the unit, Houchen has persuaded businesses to help buy equipment, furniture and even toys for his office, so abused children can feel comfortable in a police environment. Houchen said he deals every day with “some very true victims, some very innocent victims who cannot complain and have no advocacy.”

Williams praised all the award recipients, saying they reflected the attitude of all police and firefighters because they “went above and beyond the call of duty to make the world a better place.”