Stephen Lawrence ("Steve") Cooley (born May 1, 1947 in Los Angeles, California) is a veteran prosecutor who was elected as Los Angeles County's 40th[1] District Attorney on November 7, 2000. He succeeded Democrat Gil Garcetti. He was sworn in for his second term on December 6, 2004. Cooley was elected to a third term on June 3, 2008. He is also a former reserve Los Angeles Police officer.