Honoring a hero

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants the new SWAT headquarters to be named for Officer Randy Simmons, who became the first SWAT officer to die in the line of duty during a Winnetka standoff earlier this month.

In a letter to the Police Commission, Villaraigosa said "it would be a fitting tribute to the life of Officer Simmons to rename the new home of the Metropolitan Division and SWAT team after this remarkable SWAT team officer and dedicated member of the community."

Within six months, the Metropolitan Division and SWAT are expected to relocate to the old Rampart Division station, located at 2710 W. Temple St.

Simmons, 51, was died in a Feb. 7 shootout with a man who killed his father and two brothers inside their Welby Way home. More than 10,000 people attended his funeral last week.