O.C. Ready for Verdict, Officials Say : Trial: Law enforcers expect calm to prevail after the King beating case decision but say they’re prepared if violence flares.

While Los Angeles officials try to guard against violence that could stem from the trial of officers accused of violating the civil rights of Rodney G. King, authorities in Orange County do not anticipate outbreaks regardless of the verdict.

Last spring, rioters pillaged 10,000 businesses and more than 50 people died over a wide swath of Los Angeles County after a jury reached not-guilty verdicts in the trial of four white police officers accused of beating King, a black man. Many social and economic problems wrought by the upheaval there are unresolved.

The start of King’s civil rights trial last month in Los Angeles, followed by next month’s trial of suspects in the beating of truck driver Reginald O. Denny, has resurrected painful memories and fears of the riots for countless Southland residents. Fearing a possible repeat of anger and violence, Los Angeles city and police officials have taken some pre-emptive steps to quell outbreaks.

Meanwhile Orange County, which suffered a handful of riot-related incidents last year, will most likely remain calm, said law enforcement leaders here.

“I don’t think there will be anything in Orange County,” said Fullerton Police Chief Patrick McKinley, a former Los Angeles Police Department commander who was appointed chief last month.

Law enforcement officials do not rule out the possibility that some violence may flare here.

“It’s so difficult to anticipate the emotional side” of people’s reactions, said Cypress Police Chief Daryl Wicker. “That is difficult--almost impossible--to plan for.”

“Recognizing the intensity and the personal feelings that can run high, hopefully cooler heads will prevail because both trials have potential” for sparking anger.

Costa Mesa Police Chief David L. Snowden said: “You never know. People do have cars and do cause problems in other cities.”

“There are opportunists at every corner in that regard, and we can anticipate some vandalism,” Snowden said.

“If problems do occur, I can tell you we’re ready,” said a confident Brad Gates, Orange County sheriff. Long-running agreements between police within Orange County and with counterparts in Los Angeles County are in place and have been fine-tuned, authorities said. During last spring’s riots an estimated 350 officers from various Orange County police departments were dispatched to Los Angeles beginning on the second day of the disturbance, sheriff’s officials said.

After the riots, police chiefs in Orange County formalized procedures for sending officers to Los Angeles or any other city, said Assistant Orange County Sheriff Dennis LaDucer, who oversees operations. LaDucer, who declined to describe the countywide tactical plans, said the new procedures will help reduce the time it takes to assemble and instruct officers before they go to their assignment.

While they talk about being ready for trouble, law enforcement officials say they hope their help and preparation will not be necessary.

“In my view, at this point, most political leaders in Los Angeles are trying to educate the community that (social disorder) is not the way to solve the problem,” Gates said. Indeed, Los Angeles officials say they have achieved unprecedented readiness to deal with disorder.

Earlier last month, for example, organizers invited the press to document training exercises of about 600 rifle-toting National Guard troops as they descended upon armories across Los Angeles County and at the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center. Marshals have beefed up security at the downtown Los Angeles federal building where the trial of the LAPD officers is being held.

The flurry of preparedness activity in Los Angeles could have a peripheral effect on Orange County, said Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters.

For Santa Ana police, “our biggest concern is not necessarily that people in Santa Ana or Orange County will cause problems, but with all the publicity about how prepared they are in L.A., some of the people who want to cause problems might come to Orange County.”