Gov. Wilson Puts $50,000 Rewards on Police Killings : Crime: Slain officers are from Garden Grove and Manhattan Beach. Governor calls deaths ‘an attack on all of us.’

Declaring that an attack on a police officer is “an attack on all of us,” Gov. Pete Wilson announced Tuesday $50,000 rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killers of Garden Grove Police Officer Howard E. Dallies Jr. and Manhattan Beach Police Officer Martin Ganz.

The governor said he hoped the rewards will “raise the profile of the investigation and attract more leads.”

Wilson also announced that he is asking the Legislature to introduce a bill to increase to $100,000 the maximum reward for cases where a peace officer is killed in the line of duty.

Dallies, of Garden Grove, was gunned down by a motorcyclist on March 9 of last year, and Ganz, also a Garden Grove resident, was shot and killed during a traffic stop in December.

“As far as I’m concerned, all cop killers deserve the death penalty,” Wilson said, adding that there is “no more fitting tribute that we can make to these slain officers than to assure their families of our resolve to take action swiftly to bring their killers to justice.”

The governor, who is expected to face a tough reelection battle this year, made his announcement in a ceremony at the Los Angeles Police Officers Memorial. The choice of that telegenic setting in vote-rich Southern California underscores Wilson’s desire to boost his public profile as a tough crime-fighter.

Under the state Penal Code, Wilson has the power to issue monetary rewards of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of prison escapees or persons responsible for capital offenses. The rewards must be requested by local law enforcement agencies. During his Administration, Wilson has offered four such rewards.

Police in Garden Grove said they were pleased by the governor’s announcement and expressed hope that the money would help spark news clues that might lead to a break in the case.

“This certainly is a nice gesture,” said Sgt. George Jaramillo. “Any time we have something that enhances our chances of getting new leads, we’re happy.”

After Dallies was killed, nearly 40 investigators from seven police departments banded together to form the largest homicide task force in Orange County history. In June the task force was scaled back to about a dozen investigators. It was disbanded late last year as most of the fresh leads were exhausted.

But investigators aren’t even close to giving up, Jaramillo said. Detectives continue to pore over the evidence they have, sifting through old clues to be sure they haven’t missed anything.

Police have produced a computer-enhanced sketch of the murder suspect showing a man with long blond hair topped with a blue baseball cap. Detectives believe the acne-scarred, young-looking man also was responsible for severely wounding Santa Ana security guard Rene Carpio in January, 1993.

In Manhattan Beach, police are continuing to hunt for the killer of Ganz, who had purchased his boyhood home in Garden Grove just before he was killed.