Cross-examination of Ronald Shipp (morning, part 1)

📄 Cross-examination of Ronald Shipp (morning, part 1) — Thursday, February 2, 1995

Address:

C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\FEB\2\CROSS-EXAMINATION-OF-RONALD-SH.DOC

TRIAL

▲ Day 11 of 167

◀ Court opening Sidebar: impeachment evidence ▶

Witness: Ron Shipp
Examiner: Carl Douglas
Called by: Prosecution • Date: Thursday, February 2, 1995 • Utterances: 61

Carl Douglas continues cross-examining Ronald Shipp, beginning by introducing a contract between Shipp and author Sheila Weller (Defense Exhibit 1001), implying a financial motive for Shipp's testimony. Douglas then probes Shipp's experience as a police officer testifying under oath and his history of alcohol abuse from approximately 1983 to 1989. The examination ends abruptly when Douglas asks whether Shipp was suspended for 30 days due to his alcohol problem — which Shipp flatly denies — prompting Darden to object and request a sidebar.

# 1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT, IN THE PRESENCE OF THE JURY:)

# 2 THE COURT:

THANK YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. BE SEATED, PLEASE. ALL RIGHT. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT WE HAVE BEEN REJOINED BY ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF OUR JURY PANEL. GOOD MORNING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

# 3 THE JURY:

GOOD MORNING.

# 4 THE COURT:

MR. SHIPP, WOULD YOU PLEASE RESUME THE WITNESS STAND.

RONALD SHIPP,

THE WITNESS ON THE STAND AT THE TIME OF THE EVENING ADJOURNMENT, RESUMED THE STAND AND TESTIFIED FURTHER AS FOLLOWS:

# 5 THE COURT:

GOOD MORNING, MR. SHIPP. YOU ARE REMINDED THAT YOU ARE STILL UNDER OATH. MR. DOUGLAS, DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE YOUR CROSS-EXAMINATION?

# 6 MR. DOUGLAS:

THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR. I WOULD.

# 7

CROSS-EXAMINATION

# 8

BY MR. DOUGLAS:

# 9 Q:

MR. SHIPP, WHEN YOU TESTIFIED YESTERDAY, YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU WOULD BE BRINGING TODAY THE CONTRACT YOU HAD HAD WITH MISS SHEILA WELLER.

# 10 A:

YES, SIR.

# 11 MR. DOUGLAS:

YOUR HONOR, CAN I HAVE THIS MARKED AS THE NEXT EXHIBIT?

# 12 THE COURT:

WHY DON'T WE HAVE A PHOTOCOPY MADE AND WE WILL AGREE THAT THE PHOTOCOPY WILL BE THE COURT'S EXHIBIT.

# 13 MR. DOUGLAS:

YOUR HONOR, FOR THE RECORD, I'VE BEEN GIVEN A ONE-PAGE DOCUMENT.

# 14 THE COURT:

I TAKE IT THIS IS GOING TO BE 1001?

# 15 MR. DOUGLAS:

1001, YOUR HONOR, YES.

# 16 THE COURT:

OKAY.

# 17 (DEFT'S 1001 FOR ID = CONTRACT BET. SHIPP AND WELLER)

# 18 Q:

BY MR. DOUGLAS: NOW, MR. SHIPP, YOU WERE --

# 19 THE COURT:

EXCUSE ME, MR. DOUGLAS. MR. COCHRAN, WHY DON'T YOU GIVE THAT TO MISS ROBERTSON SO EVERYONE CAN HAVE A COPY.

# 20 MR. COCHRAN:

SURE, YOUR HONOR.

# 21 THE COURT:

MR. DOUGLAS.

# 22 MR. DOUGLAS:

THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR.

# 23 Q:

BY MR. DOUGLAS: MR. SHIPP, YOU WERE EMPLOYED BY THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS?

# 24 A:

YES, I WAS.

# 25 Q:

AND ONE OF THE DUTIES OF A LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICER IS TO TESTIFY IN COURTS, TRUE?

# 26 A:

THAT'S CORRECT.

# 27 Q:

IN FACT, BEFORE YOU WERE ABLE TO BEGIN WORKING AS A PATROL OFFICER, YOU HAD TO GO THROUGH THE POLICE ACADEMY?

# 28 A:

YES, I DID.

# 29 Q:

AND THERE WERE CLASSES AND TRAINING SESSIONS EDUCATING THE RECRUITS ABOUT HOW TO TESTIFY IN COURT?

# 30 A:

THIS IS TRUE.

# 31 Q:

OVER THE 15 YEARS THAT YOU'VE TESTIFIED IN THE PAST AS A POLICE OFFICER --

# 32 MR. DARDEN:

OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR. THAT ASSUMES A FACT NOT IN EVIDENCE.

# 33 THE COURT:

OVERRULED.

# 34 Q:

BY MR. DOUGLAS: OVER THE 15 YEARS THAT YOU'VE TESTIFIED AS A POLICE OFFICER, YOU'VE TESTIFIED IN JURY TRIALS AND THEN YOU'VE TESTIFIED IN FRONT OF THE COURTS WITHOUT A JURY?

# 35 A:

YES, I HAVE.

# 36 Q:

AND IF YOU WERE TO ESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF TIMES THAT YOU'VE TESTIFIED UNDER OATH, THAT NUMBER WOULD BE IN THE HUNDREDS; WOULDN'T YOU AGREE?

# 37 A:

WELL, IN 15 YEARS, I WORKED VARIOUS ASSIGNMENTS. I WAS NOT ALWAYS IN PATROL. I WORKED SOME UNDERCOVER, I WORKED JUVENILE DIVISION. SO MAYBE OUT OF THE 15 YEARS, I HAD APPROXIMATELY SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS OF ACTUAL PATROL TIME, AND THE ONLY TIME I EVER TESTIFIED AND WENT TO COURT WAS WHEN I WAS WORKING PATROL.

# 38 Q:

BUT WOULDN'T YOU AGREE THAT YOU'VE TESTIFIED OVER A HUNDRED TIMES IN THE PAST?

# 39 A:

MAYBE NOT THAT MUCH.

# 40 Q:

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ESTIMATE OF THE NUMBER OF TIMES YOU'VE TESTIFIED IN THE PAST?

# 41 A:

APPROXIMATELY 50 TO 60.

# 42 Q:

SO YOU WOULD ESTIMATE THAT YOU HAD TESTIFIED NO MORE THAN FOUR OR FIVE, THAT'S SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE TIMES PER YEAR, FOR EACH OF THE SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS THAT YOU WERE ON PATROL?

# 43 A:

IF THAT MUCH.

# 44 Q:

CERTAINLY YOU WOULD AGREE THAT YOU WERE SOMEWHAT COMFORTABLE SITTING IN THE WITNESS STAND FROM YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE?

# 45 A:

IT DEPENDS. SOMETIMES I WAS. I MEAN IF I WAS IN TRAFFIC COURT, I DON'T KNOW WHY, I USED TO WRITE LOUSY TICKETS. SO SOMETIMES I'D GET A LITTLE NERVOUS.

KEY QUOTE

# 46 Q:

NOW, MR. SHIPP, WHEN WE LEFT OFF YESTERDAY, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT YOUR ALCOHOL PROBLEM. DO YOU RECALL THAT?

# 47 A:

YES.

# 48 Q:

AND YOU SAID THAT YOU NO LONGER HAVE AN ALCOHOL PROBLEM, DIDN'T YOU?

# 49 A:

THAT'S CORRECT.

# 50 Q:

NOW, YOUR ALCOHOL PROBLEM STARTED WHEN?

# 51 A:

WHEN I WAS A POLICE OFFICER.

# 52 Q:

ABOUT WHAT YEAR DID THE PROBLEM START?

# 53 A:

I WOULD SAY IT PROBABLY GOT KIND OF OUT OF HAND I THINK AROUND MAYBE '83.

KEY QUOTE

# 54 Q:

AND YOU BELIEVE THAT YOUR ALCOHOL PROBLEM ENDED WHEN?

# 55 A:

PROBABLY WHEN I LEFT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

# 56 Q:

WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN '89?

# 57 A:

'89.

# 58 Q:

NOW, AS A RESULT OF YOUR ALCOHOL PROBLEM, YOU WERE SUSPENDED FOR 30 DAYS AS A POLICE OFFICER, WEREN'T YOU?

# 59 A:

NO, I WAS NOT.

# 60 MR. DARDEN:

YOUR HONOR, I WOULD OBJECT AT THIS TIME. MAY I ASK WE APPROACH THE SIDEBAR?

# 61 THE COURT:

YES, WITH THE COURT REPORTER, PLEASE.

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (3)

Ronald Shipp

IT DEPENDS. SOMETIMES I WAS. I MEAN IF I WAS IN TRAFFIC COURT, I DON'T KNOW WHY, I USED TO WRITE LOUSY TICKETS. SO SOMETIMES I'D GET A LITTLE NERVOUS.

Shipp deflects with self-deprecating humor when asked whether his police experience made him comfortable on the witness stand, slightly undermining Douglas's setup that he is a practiced, calculating witness.

Ronald Shipp

NO, I WAS NOT.

Flat denial of the 30-day suspension allegation — the sharpest moment of the session, immediately triggering a prosecution objection and sidebar, suggesting Douglas was about to introduce damaging impeachment material.

Ronald Shipp

I WOULD SAY IT PROBABLY GOT KIND OF OUT OF HAND I THINK AROUND MAYBE '83.

Shipp acknowledges his alcohol problem worsened while he was still on the LAPD, laying groundwork for the defense's credibility attack on his memory and reliability.

Evidence (1)

Defense 1001

One-page contract between Ronald Shipp and author Sheila Weller

Introduced and marked for identification; photocopy ordered by court

Notable Exchanges (2)

Carl Douglas•Ronald Shipp

Douglas methodically walks Shipp through his courtroom experience as a police officer, trying to establish that Shipp is a seasoned witness who knew exactly what he was doing when he testified about OJ's dream confession. Shipp pushes back on the '100+ times' figure, settling on 50-60.

strategic

Carl Douglas•Ronald Shipp•Christopher Darden

Douglas asks whether Shipp was suspended for 30 days due to his alcohol problem. Shipp denies it. Darden immediately objects and requests a sidebar, cutting off what appeared to be a significant impeachment attempt.

heated

Light Moments (1)

Ronald Shipp

Shipp admits he 'used to write lousy tickets' and got nervous in traffic court, getting a small laugh out of what was otherwise a methodical credibility assault.

Credibility Attacks (3)

⚔ Ronald Shipp

financial bias / book deal

Douglas introduces Shipp's contract with author Sheila Weller as Defense Exhibit 1001, implying Shipp had a financial incentive to craft a damaging story about OJ Simpson.

⚔ Ronald Shipp

prior bad acts / alcohol abuse

Douglas establishes that Shipp had an alcohol problem from roughly 1983 to 1989 while employed as an LAPD officer, attacking the reliability of his memory and judgment.

⚔ Ronald Shipp

prior inconsistent conduct / impeachment by suspension

Douglas attempts to introduce a 30-day LAPD suspension allegedly connected to Shipp's alcohol problem; Shipp denies it and Darden's objection forces a sidebar before the line of questioning can proceed.

Objections

2 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)

Proceeding 4527 • 61 utterances • Prosecution witness

Criminal Trial

Department 103