PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

By Richard Kraft

CRIMINAL PROSECUTOR RICHARD KRAFT HAS A LONG HISTORY OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND CONTRIBUTING TO THE COMMUNITY.

In September 2005, Richard taught at a statewide program for law enforcement, Worker Safety Violations Seminar, presented by the California District Attorneys Association. He lectured on the prosecution of an OSHA death case to other prosecutors, investigators and worker safety professionals.

From 2001 - 2004, Richard was a member of the Commission on Domestic Violence, American Bar Association. The Commission is an interdisciplinary group of experts in their respective fields who address the multi-faceted issues of family violence, physically abusive relationships, parenting, child custody and a range of other related matters.

In 2001, Richard served as Co-Trainer for a class of 24 new deputy city attorneys. He taught a six week, full-time program covering the substantive and procedural issues in misdemeanor prosecutions, including lectures, demonstrations and mock trials. Richard continues to train and mentor new deputies, and instruct on access and use of county, state and national criminal information systems.

In approximately 1998, Richard initiated a 14 month program to install computers at the Los Angeles County Central Arraignment Court to provide prosecutors with access to criminal justice computer systems (NECS/TCIS/CLETS). Richard coordinated with judges, law enforcement, court administration, prosecutors and City Attorney management to implement the system. It remains today and is a valuable tool for prosecutors to identify their defendants, for defense counsel to become aware of other matters and give their clients informed advice, and for the court to resolve all cases relating to each defendant efficiently and fairly.

In 1995, Richard developed and implemented the first domestic violence vertical prosecution program at the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office. It also was the City's first program to employ a team approach to the prosecution of domestic violence cases. In this innovative grant program, the assigned vertical prosecutor handled cases from investigation and filing through trial, and worked jointly with an assigned victim advocate and an investigator.

Pursuant to a grant from the Attorney General's Office, Richard set up protocols with various L.A.P.D. divisions and City Attorney branch offices to identify serious and recidivist offenders. The grant provided funding for a victim advocate and an investigator, both of whom Richard trained. (That victim advocate is now in charge of all victim advocates working in the Domestic Violence Unit of the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, and the investigator is now the office investigator for Central Trials prosecutors.)

As part of the grant, Richard also set up a docket and calendaring system so that he could personally handle a large volume of cases efficiently and effectively. During the grant period, Richard prosecuted 24 defendants charged with aggravated incidents of domestic violence. Following conviction by trial or plea, all 24 defendants received jail sentences ranging from 270 to 910 days, with an average jail sentence of 580 days. There were no dismissals or acquittals.

While in private practice from 1981 - 1989, Richard was active in the State Bar. From 1985 - 1989, he served on the Executive Committee of the State Bar of California Real Property Law Subsection on Real Estate Litigation. Richard served as Southern California Chair from 1987 - 1989. In that capacity, he reviewed and provided analyses on pending legislation and promoted continuing legal education programs. In 1987, Richard organized and was Moderator for the Los Angeles program, "Litigating Claims for Relief From Governmental Regulation Under the Constitution and 42 U.S.C. section 1983."

During his years in private practice, Richard volunteered with Public Counsel and provided free legal services to those who could not afford an attorney. In one case, Richard saved the home of an elderly couple who had been victimized by a "loan broker" who placed fraudulent liens on homes to steal the equity. Richard stopped the foreclosure and obtained a preliminary injunction winning his clients thousands of dollars based on prior overcharges.

Richard has authored materials used to train other prosecutors. He was the primary author for a chapter in the California District Attorneys Association manual "Investigation & Prosecution of Domestic Violence" which has been used by prosecutors statewide for the past 8 years. In addition to his CDAA work, Richard has prepared training and educational materials for prosecutors in the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, the Criminal Law Section of the State Bar of California, and the American Bar Association.