Simpson Prosecutor Concedes Defeat

Nov. 10, 2000 -- As Los Angeles prosecutor, Gil Garcetti was more famous for the cases he lost than the ones he won. Now, he has lost one more battle — his bid for a third term as District Attorney.

Garcetti became a household name during the so-called “Trial of the Century” over murder charges against O.J. Simpson, was defeated by a two-to-one margin in Tuesday’s election by a highly critical deputy, Steve Cooley.

He conceded defeat Wednesday in his bitter race with Cooley, telling reporters: “The people have spoken.”

Political analysts said it was the Simpson trial and the police corruption scandal at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart station that cost him the election.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Superior Court Judge Lance Ito, who presided over the Simpson trial, attended Cooley’s victory party on Tuesday night.

“This morning I called Steve Cooley to wish him well,” a resigned Garcetti said at a press conference to concede the race.

“I congratulate him. Steve fought a hard race and the voters have spoken.

“This may be one of the toughest jobs in the country, but it’s also one of the best jobs in the country,” he said. “I don’t know what it’s going to be, but I’m looking forward to my next challenge.”

A Cool Cooley

Cooley, a veteran Los Angeles County prosecutor, beat thetwo-term Garcetti 64 percent to 36 percent in Tuesday’s election.He will take office on Dec. 4. The campaign was marked by nastypersonal attacks and the shadow of a police scandal. Each sidespent $1 million on TV ads.

Cooley said he will make major changes in the office, which has more than 1,000 prosecutors and handles more than 300,000 cases per year.

He will decentralize some operations and create three new divisions to investigate public corruption, “ensure the integrityof the criminal justice system” and fight criminal syndicates, Cooley said.

His office also won’t seek three-strikes cases against repeatcriminals unless the third offense is violent or serious.

“There will be a public integrity division formed to focus on public corruption matters,” he said. “We are going to have a fully accountable division to ensure the integrity of the criminal justice system.”

High-Profile Failures

Garcetti first took office in 1992 after his predecessor, Ira Reiner, failed to convict four white officers whose beating of black motorist Rodney King was captured on videotape. Garcetti held the office for two four-year terms, and saw his prosecutors lose a string of high-profile cases.

Garcetti was criticized for failing to convict Erik and Lyle Menendez, who killed their wealthy parents with shotgun blasts in August 1989. The two admitted killing their parents but said they did so only after years of abuse.

After two juries deadlocked on murder charges both brothers were ultimately convicted of murder at a second trial.

Los Angeles prosecutors failed to convict Simpson of murdering his ex-wife and her friend, despite boasting of a “mountain of evidence” against him. A civil court jury later found Simpson liable for the deaths.

On the other hand, Garcetti’s tenure also has included the conviction of the man accused of killing Bill Cosby’s son during a 1997 robbery, and of the man who bashed trucker Reginald Denny’s head with a brick in a televised attack during the 1992 riots.

But then, Reiner noted, “Rampart came along.”

Hammered Over Rampart

Cooley, a prosecutor with nearly three decades of experience who heads the DA’s welfare fraud division, hammered Garcetti’s handlingof the police scandal that arose from allegations that Rampart-area officers framed suspects.

Cooley accused Garcetti of poor oversight that allowed rogue cops to take the witness stand. More than 100 convictions have beenoverturned because of concerns that officers may have given false testimony.

Reiner said Garcetti’s name became entangled with the scandal when he publicly clashed with Police Chief Bernard C. Parks, whoaccused him of foot-dragging in filing criminal charges against some officers.

Garcetti had other strikes against him: the state's public chastising of the county's efforts to collect child supportpayments from deadbeat parents — ranked the worst in the state — and assertions that he granted leniency to scions of financialsupporters.

“It’s not just one case. It’s not just two cases,” Cooley saidof Garcetti’s downfall. “[It was] an accumulation of things.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.