Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 4020 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: NOVEMBER 2016 D NA evidence was key to the investigation of the 1994 murders of Ronald Goldman and Ni- cole Brown Simpson, and it was the job of Los An- geles Police Department Detectives Phil Vannatter and Tom Lange to solve the case. Nicole Simpson’s ex-hus- band, famed football player and Hollywood personality O.J. Simpson, was a prime suspect. Thus began one of the most infamous cases in American history, culmi- nating in the trial of the century. Last month, the National Law Enforcement Museum presented the 14th install- ment of its popular “Witness to History” panel discus- sion series, which has been generously sponsored by TARGET. Held at the U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke The- atre, guests enjoyed a fas- cinating discussion with retired LAPD Detective Tom Lange; Rock Harmon, a former Senior Deputy District Attorney in Alam- eda County and a DNA expert for the O.J. Simpson prosecution team; and Dr. Jenifer Smith, director of the District of Columbia’s Department of Forensic Science. Craig Floyd, president and CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, kicked off the event by welcoming over 100 guests and intro- ducing moderator Frank Bond, a retired anchor and reporter of Washington DC’s WUSA-TV, and cur- rent documentary producer for The Newseum. Life changed for Tom Lange when his phone rang at 3 AM and he was told to report to a murder scene. He talked about the first hours of the investigation and the methodical process- ing of the crime scene. “It may sound cold, but you have to look at these bodies as evidence – they are protected like every- thing else at the scene,” Lange said. Dr. Jenifer Smith talked about the signifi- cance of DNA evidence and explained how she uses footage from the Simp- son trial in the classroom to teach students how important it is for forensic scientists to not only use good science, but to be able to explain it to a jury. When asked about the glove found at the crime scene, Rock Harmon said the de- fense attorneys made a case that the glove was planted at the scene by the LAPD, in effect putting the agency on trial. Both Harmon and Lange talked about how having cameras in the courtroom 24/7 and the length of the trial did not work in the prosecution’s favor. The defense was able to build and present a compel- ling narrative but it was not based on evidence. One highlight of the eve- ning came during the ques- tion and answer portion when Lange was asked about his role in getting O.J. Simpson to safety during the infamous chase in the white Bronco. A suspect at this point, Simp- son had a gun and was threat- ening to kill him- self. Lange said he thought it was wrong that no one was serious- ly attempting to stop Simpson. “Then I real- ized, wait a min- ute, I’ve got his phone number so I called it, and we talked for about 25 min- utes.” Lange explained how im- portant it was to just keep Simpson distracted and his mind occupied on the phone in order to get him home safely. The Museum’s “Witness to History” program began in June 2011. Since the inaugu- ral event, 13 more have been presented. Video recordings and photos from the events are available to view on the Museum’s website – www. LawEnforcementMuseum. It may sound cold, but you have to look at these bodies as evidence… they are protected like everything else at the scene. Top right: NLEOMF President Craig Floyd introduces the panelists at the Newseum. Above: the speakers, Craig Floyd and guests including Mahagony Eller, third from left from the TARGET Corporation. On left: the speakers; left: Moderator Frank Bond, Det. Tom Lange, Rock Harmon and Dr. Jenifer Smith. O.J. Simpson: Infamous crime, trial of century