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--> Former Los Angeles Police detective Mark Fuhrman autographs copies of his book `Murder In Brentwood' at the Spokane Republican Women's Club luncheon, Feb. 15, 2001, in Spokane, Wash. AP Life after O.J. By Chad Dundas Associated Press Writer SPOKANE, Wash. - Mention O.J. Simpson to Mark Fuhrman now and the former Los Angeles police detective is quick with a response: "Who?" It's hard to blame him for wanting to forget. Of all the people who gained notoriety from Simpson's murder trial, Fuhrman arguably had the rockiest ride. Caught lying on the witness stand about his past use of racial epithets, forced to retire and plead no contest to perjury, the man who found the bloody glove was ruined - until he relocated to Idaho, scored a book deal and penned the best-selling Simpson retrospective "Murder in Brentwood." Since then, Fuhrman's become one of the most successful of the Simpson alums. Now a full-time true crime writer - with two more "Murder In ..." titles behind him - Fuhrman also hosts a twice-weekly local radio talk show called "All About Crime." Two of his books have been optioned for TV movies. Fuhrman, a Tacoma native, owns a ranch near the resort town of Sandpoint, Idaho. He said he's adjusted to small town life - mending fences, driving his '94 Chevrolet truck, shepherding his two sons to weekend soccer games. But, Fuhrman admitted, he sometimes pines for the old days. "Is it the thing I'd like to do the most?" Fuhrman said. "No. I'd rather be nobody, working on a case with my partner in the middle of the night, making civil service wage. I can't have that. This is the next best thing." His 1998 book "Murder in Greenwich" examined the 25-year-old slaying of Connecticut teen-ager Martha Moxley. Some have credited Fuhrman with leading the charge to arrest Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel for Moxley's murder. Skakel's trial is pending. Author Dominick Dunne, who wrote the forward to "Murder in Greenwich," is a staunch Fuhrman supporter. "He's been able to carve out a new life for himself as a great detective and a commentator on crime," Dunne said. "I'm happy for him." At Simpson's trial, defense attorneys used tapes of Fuhrman - a key witness for the prosecution - using racial slurs to cast doubt on his testimony. Dunne said Fuhrman is not a racist and he believes Fuhrman's comments were blown out of proportion, allowing a guilty Simpson to go free. "It became a bigger crime than slitting two people's throats," Dunne said. Fuhrman's new career as an author can make for strange bedfellows. The man who once punched a news photographer in an airport recently spoke here at a meeting of the Society of Professional Journalists. Fuhrman is now a dues-paying member of the SPJ. "There came a time that I realized I'd become a journalist," Fuhrman said. "Believe me, that was kind of a scary thought." The ex-cop once vilified by the press has turned his pen against some of his former counterparts in law enforcement. A favorite target is the Spokane County Sheriff's Department. His latest book "Murder in Spokane," charged local officers with bungling their three-year investigation into serial killer Robert L. Yates Jr. Fuhrman contends the sheriff's department spent too much time establishing a computer database, while ignoring old-fashioned leg work he said could have caught Yates - who preyed on area prostitutes - two years and nine victims earlier. For a time the sheriff's department fired back, saying Fuhrman was denied access to their case files, so he doesn't have enough information to criticize their methods. "He's guessing," said Cal Walker, a leader of the task force that caught Yates. The sheriff's department also said that Yates' confession to 13 killings and sentence to 408 years in prison was the result of their high-tech investigation. These days, the sheriff's office declines to discuss Fuhrman, saying they don't want to help him sell books. "They've taken all their marbles and gone home and they don't want to play anymore," Fuhrman said. "... They know that they made major mistakes in that case and they know that nine or 10 women would be alive if they were the aggressive, proactive department that they claim to be." Sheriff Mark Sterk asked a citizen's panel to investigate Fuhrman's allegations of incompetence. The panel returned quickly with a judgment that Fuhrman's book was riddled with errors. The sheriff's office is now cooperating with a free-lance writer on a book they say will give the true details of the Yates investigation. Sterk and his officers are frequent targets during Fuhrman's afternoon radio program. Fuhrman brands local cops as lazy, inept investigators who take long lunches. "Mark Sterk is a small town boy and he's trying to be a small-town leader in a small place," Fuhrman said. Fuhrman said he's won a listening audience with a straightforward approach. He said if the topic was anything but crime, he wouldn't be interested. "We talk about police stuff, like people understand," Fuhrman said. "Not like some captain or some chief that wants to suck up to somebody or be really careful. I say it the way the guy in the street says it." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing