Area Police Preparing for Future Emergencies : Law enforcement: Tear gas practice, 12-hour days and increased firepower are among the measures now being developed.

Inglewood police have been practicing with tear gas. Gardena’s officers have devised 12-hour shifts that will boost the number of officers on patrol at any one time. And Torrance police have added more firepower to their arsenal.

The moves come as two racially volatile court cases wind their way through the criminal justice system--the federal trial of four Los Angeles police officers accused of beating motorist Rodney G. King and the state trial of three men accused of assaulting trucker Reginald O. Denny and other motorists in the early stages of last spring’s riots.

While some cities say their preparations are routine upgrading of police services, others concede that they are motivated by the possibility of more civil disturbances.

“We’re preparing for the worst but are hoping for the best,” said Sgt. Alex Perez, police spokesman in Inglewood, which sustained $10 million in riot damage last year, the worst of any South Bay city.

Last week, Inglewood police held special riot training sessions for its 209 officers and 35 reserve officers. Police from other cities, including El Segundo and Hawthorne, also participated in the exercises.

There have also been steps to shore up communication among South Bay agencies participating in a mutual aid agreement, which allows police or fire personnel from neighboring cities to assist each other in emergencies.

Last year, some officers from neighboring cities who were available to help Inglewood were never called, while others arrived en masse unexpectedly, Perez said.

In the event of a new emergency, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will serve as a clearinghouse for requests for aid, Perez said. The Sheriff’s Department would pass on requests for officers from nearby cities and specify when such help is most needed, Perez said.

Steven Stallings, a Gardena police lieutenant, said that Gardena patrol officers have been taking riot training sessions with other police agencies and that support personnel will receive similar instruction in the coming weeks.

“The training will continue until something happens or the trials are over or there are no unusual events (anticipated) in the community,” Stallings said.

Gardena’s 12-hour staffing plan, a contingency common to many police agencies, will be used in the event of an emergency, he said.

While most law enforcement agencies have been reviewing crowd dispersal and control techniques, some area fire departments have been outfitting their personnel with bulletproof vests. On Tuesday, the Torrance City Council approved the purchase of 75 such vests for its firefighters.

Torrance firefighters battled blazes in both Inglewood and South-Central Los Angeles during last year’s unrest. And, city officials say, paramedics have been at risk when responding to some emergency situations in Torrance.

“We’ve been in areas where there can be shooting incidents,” said City Manager LeRoy J. Jackson.

The Torrance City Council this week also approved outfitting the city’s police officers with new semiautomatic pistols. The new guns, Glock .45-caliber pistols, can fire 14 rounds before having to be reloaded. Most Torrance officers have been using Colt .45-caliber pistols, which are capable of firing only eight rounds. In addition, some Torrance officers still use a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver, which holds six rounds in its cylinder.

The purchase is part of a long-planned standardization of weapons for the department, but the council this week also moved to upgrade and replenish other police supplies. The Police Department will soon be receiving $58,000 worth of new equipment, including riot shields, helmets, gas masks, four semiautomatic rifles and field booking equipment for mass arrests.

Torrance Police Chief Joseph C. De Ladurantey said the equipment replaces outdated supplies, such as expired tear gas. The department’s 24 Special Weapons and Tactics Team members have recently undergone riot training sessions and will soon teach crowd control, dispersal and rescue to other Torrance officers, De Ladurantey said.

Torrance police have also devised special 12-hour shifts that would boost the number of officers on patrol in the event of any emergency. “We would do it whether it’s a natural disaster or a man-made one,” De Ladurantey said.

In Los Angeles, police officials have had emergency planning meetings with city leaders and conducted mandatory training for officers in everything from tear gas and crowd control to rescues. The LAPD and former Chief Daryl F. Gates came under intense criticism last year for the response to the riots, which left 53 people dead and caused nearly $1 billion in property damages.

Most Sheriff’s Department field officers have also recently completed training in containing disturbances. The department has also formed specialized units that would be quickly mobilized in an emergency.