A veteran Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy and his younger partner sat tensely in their car Thursday in the same patrol district where a former LAPD cop -- now on the run, accused in three killings -- used to work.

The two deputies were "on the edge," they said, monitoring the police radio and the latest news about the rogue ex-cop who has pledged to kill officers in and out of uniform.

Their marked cruiser was ensconced beneath soaring concrete columns supporting the light-rail Expo Line. In an off-limits parking spot by a "Do Not Enter" sign, their car faced passing traffic, and the two officers stood watch, wondering whether Christopher Jordan Dorner would pass their way.

"Everyone is a lot more on edge," said one of the deputies, a 24-year veteran, who was in uniform with a bulletproof vest and his sidearm. "We're just doing a lot more careful observation.

"We're listening to the news like you. Everyone has got their eyes open," said the deputy, who asked that his name not be published due to security concerns. "He's a scary guy."

His partner, sitting behind the wheel, let the senior deputy do much of the talking, but when he paused to listen to the radio, the six-year deputy chimed in.

"We're just being more observant," he said, frequently looking toward the morning traffic speeding by the La Cienega Boulevard station.

Normally, the two officers would be riding the Expo Line, checking passengers for proof of fare payment. The officers are common fixtures on the new rail line, which opened last year, and walk through the train cars, issuing tickets for passengers who haven't paid their fare.

That rail line runs through the heart of the southwest division of the Los Angeles Police Department, the district where Dorner, a former LAPD officer, had been assigned for patrol duty while on the force.

Dorner has allegedly written a manifesto pledging "asymmetrical warfare" on officers in and out of uniform, particularly LAPD officers, but the sheriff's deputies were taking the threat to include them, too.

All 10,000 officers in the LAPD were on "tac alert" Thursday, including Officers Ryan Lee and John Negrete, who were patrolling the same division where Dorner had worked. Under a tactical alert, all officers are in uniform or available for duty.

Also, all motorcycle officers were taken off the street and put in patrol cars Thursday for their own protection, Los Angeles Police said.

Lee and Negrete didn't mind giving their names to a CNN reporter because they expressed confidence in their department's numbers.

"We're maxed deployed," Lee said, behind the wheel, idling the parked black-and-white. "I don't think he'll bring the fight into L.A. I think he has a better chance with a smaller department. We have so many resources."

It was clear from their manner of speech that all officers were at the ready.

"These types of events band officers and departments together, and I guess his trying to bring the fight to officers, well, he knows better," added Lee, a 10-year veteran. "His manifesto to exonerate himself doesn't make sense."

Negrete, who's been on the force for 13 years, expressed hope for a peaceful capture of Dorner.

"I just read bits and pieces of his manifesto and I just hope he's taken into custody so nobody and no officer gets hurt," said Negrete.

Lee and Negrete didn't have a news radio in the car, so the only way they can get news updates is through Twitter on their cell phones, they said.

"The department holds this stuff close to their vest. I know there's a lot going on," Lee said about the manhunt for Dorner. The officers were given some information about Dorner during roll call, and some fellow cops remarked they knew of Dorner but didn't offer much more, Lee and Negrete said.