STUDIO CITY : Everyday Heroes Honored at Banquet

After it was over, Kathleen Maher was clutching a certificate and thinking about her younger brother, Kevin.

“I’m very proud of what he did, but it’s an empty feeling,” said Maher, whose brother was honored posthumously at the 15th annual Citizens Recognition Luncheon held by the Mid-Valley Community Police Council. “I’d rather have him back.”

Kevin Maher, an electrician, died Jan. 17 after the Northridge earthquake as he helped save a child trapped in a car. He was one of a dozen ordinary residents--who stepped in to save lives, help a neighbor or catch criminals--honored Thursday at the luncheon at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City.

“Perhaps their heroism is greater than our own,” Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Martin Pomeroy said. He noted that when citizens step in to help, they are not as well-trained or prepared as police, making their help more significant.

Kevin Maher was outside his Studio City home a few hours after the quake when a woman screamed that a live power line had fallen across her car and trapped her small daughter. Using a large pair of insulated pliers from his truck, Maher pulled the wire from the car as it whipped back and forth so the woman could rescue the girl. But as he tried to cut the wire, Maher was electrocuted.

His was the last presentation at Thursday’s luncheon. Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City) presented Kathleen Maher a flag that had flown over the U. S. Capitol.

Others honored had chased thieves, given first aid to a bicycle rider who had been hit by a car, caught a purse-snatcher and helped police find two suspected car thieves. The honorees talked about how they did not think about the risks when they acted.

Kevin Maher’s story had an impact on everyone.

“My heart goes out to the woman whose brother died,” said Michael Wolf of Van Nuys, another of the honorees. He and his neighbor, Jack Lattig, helped catch a burglar early on a Saturday morning in March.

Cheri Mendoza of Van Nuys saw a burglar take a bicycle from a neighbor’s house, and rather than wait for police, decided to chase him in her car when he fled on the bike. She flagged down a patrol car and the thief was captured.

“It wasn’t until later that I thought, ‘What am I doing? I have kids at home,’ ” said Mendoza, a mother of two boys.

Nearly 500 attended the luncheon. The event raised close to $20,000 for the Mid-Valley Community Police Council, said the group’s president, Philip Smith.