Almost 4 1/2 years after reluctantly retiring as the most colorful and longest serving Chief of Police in Culver City history, Ted Cooke is chasing a high-profile job in a bizarre setting.
Sources say Mr. Cooke has petitioned the Orange County Board of Supervisors to serve as the interim Sheriff of Orange County, an appointment that would contain elements of irony.
Asserting that even though he is in his middle 70s he is hitting his stride, The Chief claims to be as vigorous as ever.
Mr. Cooke, controversial throughout his three decades in Culver City, seeks to replace Mike Carona, controversial throughout his eight years as the chief law enforcement figure — and a leading personality — in the suburban community.
A Life Sentence Plus
Prosecutors say Mr. Carona faces up to 105 years in prison if convicted on all public corruption charges filed against him last autumn. His wife and his alleged mistress also were charged in the conspiracy.
The indictment says the 52-year-old Sheriff, who ultimately retired last month after first taking a 60-day leave, accepted $350,000 for favors performed plus a Cartier watch, glamorous vacations and tickets to sporting events.
The disgraced Sheriff seemed to be a magnet for publicity throughout his term, which one pundit characterized as “equal parts comedy and tragedy.”
Misconduct Reports
Brian Gurwitz, a former deputy District Attorney in Orange County, said the Oct. 30 indictment “was no surprise to those who follow Orange County politics. Numerous allegations of misconduct against Carona have been publicized since his first term in office.”
It is not clear yet whether or how seriously the Board of Supervisors will take Mr. Cooke’s application.
Persons who know the ex-Police Chief well, say the most interesting part of the application process may be the background check.
If it is rigorous, they say, a probe will reveal a tangle of relationships involving, among others, one Donald Haidl and certain others associated with the Beverly Hills Gun Club, which was a deeply cherished affiliation of Mr. Cooke’s in his Culver City heyday.
Mr. Cooke, president of the Gun Club, the sources said, introduced Mr. Haidl, an investor in the Gun Club and a businessman at the time, to Sheriff Carona.
Deputy Admits Wrongdoing
Federal prosecutors said that was the beginning of a mutually profitable relationship.
Mr. Haidl, described in some indictment reports as “Mr. Carona’s personal rainmaker,” later was named to an unpaid position as a deputy sheriff.
Mr. Haidl has pleaded guilty to federal charges.
