In what circumstances will a defendant be impeached for making terrorist threats against a police officer?

Although the decision to put his client on the stand was a strategic necessity in view of the current charges, it was defense counsel who questioned him about his conviction for making terrorist threats; and it was defense counsel who brought out the fact that the threats had been upon on a peace officer who was not in uniform, implying that his client may not have known that his victim was in law enforcement. Moreover, it was defendant who sought to minimize the facts of his prior offense. Thereafter, the prosecutor was free to question, and impeach, defendant on these points. (People v. Robinson (1997) 53 Cal.App.4th 270, 282-283.)