The judge in the O.J. Simpson case Wednesday rejected a defense request to review police personnel files on detectives who investigated the celebrity double-murder case.
"I did not find any reports, incident reports, any information that was pertinent to the issues in this case," Superior Court Judge Lance Ito said.Ito issued his ruling at the beginning of a pretrial hearing covering a proposed gag order, evidence sharing and other subjects.
The two sides clashed on the question of evidence sharing, with prosecutor William Hodgman accusing the defense of "absolute sandbagging" and defense lawyers also expressing frustration.
On the records issue, the defense had sought the records of four lead detectives, but Ito said he saw cause to review only two - those of Detective Mark Fuhrman and Phil-ip Vannatter.
Earlier, on Tuesday, Ito also turned down defense efforts to see Fuhrman's military records. Ito said Fuhrman's Marine Corps records were irrelevant to defense suggestions that the detective was a racist and a liar.
Fuhrman is a key witness in the case because he said he found a bloody glove behind Simpson's estate that matched one at the murder scene.
"Having heard the argument . . . alleging racial animus and propensity to fabricate . . . the court reviewed the military file and found no reports or other information relevant to the issues in this case," Ito said in his written order Tuesday.
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Seal neighborhood?
With gawkers and tour buses a lingering presence outside O.J. Simpson's estate, the Los Angeles City Council has given the police department wide authority to close off the neighborhood to all but residents.
Also Tuesday, the Los Angeles council took the first step toward creating a preferential parking district along Rockingham Avenue and three adjacent streets that would prohibit street parking for visitors to the neighborhood.
Councilman Marvin Braude said he was calling for the extraordinary action because of the overwhelming public interest in the Simpson case and the impact visitors to the home have had on the neighborhood.