Jackie Lacey

Jackie Lacey
42nd Los Angeles District Attorney
Assumed office
December 3, 2012
Preceded by Steve Cooley
Personal details
Born (1957-02-27) February 27, 1957
Los Angeles, California
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) David Lacey
Children 2
Residence Granada Hills, Los Angeles
Alma mater University of California, Irvine
USC Gould School of Law
Website Official website

Jackie Lacey (born February 27, 1957)[1][2] is an American politician who has served as the District Attorney of Los Angeles County since December 3, 2012. Lacey is the first woman, and first African-American, to serve as LA District Attorney since the office was created in 1850.[3]

Early life and education

Lacey was born in Los Angeles and raised in the Crenshaw neighborhood.[4] Her father, Louis Phillips, was a City of Los Angeles Lot Cleaning employee, and her mother, Addie Phillips, was a garment factory worker.[5] Lacey attended Dorsey High School, graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in psychology in 1979, and graduated from the University of Southern California Law School in 1982.

Professional career

Lacey joined the District Attorney's Office in 1986 as a deputy district attorney. Lacey prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases while serving as a deputy district attorney, including a successful prosecution of the first race-based hate crime murder in Los Angeles County.[6] Lacey continued to move up through the ranks, taking on management and executive roles in the office in 2000. In 2011, she was named Chief Deputy District Attorney – second-in-command to the District Attorney.[6]

Los Angeles County District Attorney

2012 election

In June 2011, Lacey announced her candidacy for District Attorney, hoping to succeed retiring incumbent Steve Cooley.[7] In the June 2012 election, in what was considered a major upset, Lacey and criminal prosecutor Alan Jackson defeated City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, who was considered the favorite.[8] Lacey and Jackson advanced to a November 2012 runoff election, which Lacey won with 55% of the vote.[9]

Lacey was sworn in as District Attorney on December 3, 2012 by outgoing attorney Steve Cooley, in a ceremony attended by former district attorneys Gil Garcetti, Robert Philibosian, and John Van de Kamp.[10]

Refusal to prosecute law enforcement

During her term, Lacey has been heavily criticized by Black Lives Matter,[11] the ACLU[12] and others for failing to prosecute a single member of Los Angeles County law enforcement for murder.[13] The criticism increased in March of 2018 when Lacey refused to file charges against LAPD officer Clifford Proctor for shooting and killing Brendon Glenn three years earlier, despite LAPD Chief Charlie Beck recommending Lacey prosecute Proctor.[14] In a statement after Lacey declined to file charges against Proctor, the ACLU of Southern California released a statement saying, in part:

Despite the hundreds of civilians that have been killed by police officers within Los Angeles during Lacey's tenure, not one officer has been charged with a crime. But even among this throng of victims, Brendon Glenn stands apart. If the evidence is clear enough for Chief Beck to take the extraordinary step of calling for prosecution of one of his own officers, what more does Lacey need? Her decision suggests that no matter how egregious an officer’s conduct is, no matter the evidence she has before her, she does not intend to hold any officer accountable for unnecessarily and inexplicably shooting a member of the public.[12]

Personal life

Lacey lives in the Granada Hills neighborhood with her husband, David Lacey. They have two adult children, Kareem and April.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "A First For LA County: Jackie Lacey Sworn In as DA". myfoxla.com. Fox Television Stations, Inc. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  2. ↑ "Jackie Lacey takes office as county's first female, black D.A." latimesblogs.latimes.com. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  3. ↑ Lori Craig (October 28, 2014). "District Attorney Jackie Lacey: born to be an advocate". USC News. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  4. ↑ Villacorte, Christina; Abram, Susan. "Incoming DA Jackie Lacey says she'll work to make L.A. County neighborhoods safer". dailynews.com. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Full Biography for Jackie Lacey". smartvoter.org. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  6. 1 2 "LA District Attorney Jackie Lacey". da.lacounty.gov. Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  7. ↑ Stoltze, Frank. "Jackie Lacey announces her run for LA District Attorney". scpr.org. Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Lacey, Jackson poised for D.A. runoff; Trutanich running third". latimesblogs.latimes.com. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "California election results". latimes.com. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  10. ↑ Villacorte, Christina. "Jackie Lacey sworn in as L.A.'s first woman and African-American district attorney". dailynews.com. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  11. ↑ Holland, Emily. "Black Lives Matter Wants 10,000 Signatures For Petition". patch.com. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  12. 1 2 "ACLU STATEMENT ON FAILURE TO CHARGE OFFICER IN FATAL SHOOTING OF BRENDON GLENN". aclusocal.org. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  13. ↑ "If D.A. Jackie Lacey won't charge the LAPD officer who shot Brendon Glenn, some ask: When would she prosecute?". latimes.com. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  14. ↑ Mather, Kate. "L.A. Police Chief Beck backs charges against officer who fatally shot Venice homeless man". latimes.com. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  15. ↑ Simmonds, Yusuf J.; Brooks, Brandon; Bihm, Jennifer. "JACKIE LACEY - District Attorney County of Los Angeles". lasentinel.net. The Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved 23 May 2013.


Legal offices
Preceded by
Steve Cooley		 Los Angeles County District Attorney
December 3, 2012–present		 Incumbent
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