Public Service Award 2006
Steve Cooley

Throughout his two terms in office as the Los Angeles County District Attorney, Steve Cooley has been a committed supporter of LACAAW’s goal to eliminate sexual and domestic violence, to fully prosecute sex offenders, to bring batterers to justice and to serve the rights of victims.

Cooley has been a pioneer in the field of using DNA testing as a way to fully prosecute offenders. He started the LA County District Attorney Forensic Science Department, the division that handles evidence collection in rape cases, and has been a great supporter of Lisa Kahn, who heads the Department, and her work to ensure that sexual assault kits are preserved and tested as they should be. Cooley teamed up with LACAAW and Assemblymember Judy Chu to gain the passage of AB 898, the Rape Victims Bill of Rights that ensures rape survivors know the status of the testing of their rape kits. His office has also waged the battle to extradite criminals who have fled to Mexico to evade prosecution for crimes committed in the United States, and is a key advocate for Mexican legislation that would allow criminal suspects to be extradited for prosecution in the United States.

The conviction of one such criminal, Daniel Perez, is a powerful example of Cooley’s tenacity. Cooley and his team labored for five years to capture Daniel Perez and bring him back to California to stand trial for his acts of domestic violence and murder. Perez was finally caught, fittingly through a tip from an informant who learned about the case on www.escapingjustice.com, a Web site that provides information on murders committed in California by suspects who have fled to Mexico – a site which Cooley helped to start.

Cooley has been a great friend of LACAAW, often speaking at our annual Denim Day Rallies and attending past Humanitarian Awards dinners. He has a passion for fighting for victims’ rights, never giving up, always demanding justice and pushing for new ways for justice to prevail. For this reason, Peace Over Violence is honored to present Steve Cooley with the 2006 Public Service Humanitarian Award.