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44-501: The Onion Field is a 1973 nonfiction book by Joseph Wambaugh , a sergeant for the Los Angeles Police Department , chronicling the kidnapping of two plainclothes LAPD officers by a pair of criminals during a traffic stop and the subsequent murder of one of the officers. On the night of March 9, 1963, LAPD officers Ian Campbell (age 31) and Karl Hettinger (age 28) were riding in an unmarked police car. They pulled over

88-454: A 1946 Ford coupe containing two suspicious-looking men at the corner of Carlos Avenue and Gower Street in Hollywood . The two men, Gregory Ulas Powell (age 30) and Jimmy Lee Smith (a.k.a. "Jimmy Youngblood", age 32), had recently committed a string of robberies, and "each had a pistol tucked into his trousers". Powell, the driver, pulled a gun on Campbell, who calmly told his partner, "He has

132-487: A brief appearance in the pilot as a desk sergeant. Wambaugh's realistic approach to police drama was highly influential in both film and television depictions (such as Hill Street Blues ) from the mid-1970s onward. Wambaugh was also involved with creating/developing the NBC series Police Story , which ran from 1973 to 1978. The anthology show covered the different aspects of police work (patrol, detective, undercover, etc.) in

176-467: A brief revival on ABC during the 1988–1989 season. Wambaugh was also involved in the production of the film versions of The Onion Field (1979) and The Black Marble (1980), both directed by Harold Becker . In 1981, he won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his screenplay for the latter film. The Choirboys film adaptation had met with poor critical and audience reception

220-463: A federal offense before November 1, 1987, as well as those who committed a District of Columbia Code offense before August 5, 2000, a Uniform Code of Military Justice offense and are parole-eligible, and persons who are serving prison terms imposed by foreign countries and have been transferred to the United States to serve their sentence. Every U.S. state also has a parole board. The autonomy of

264-415: A few years earlier. All three films featured performances by then up-and-coming actor James Woods . The Glitter Dome , which starred James Garner , John Lithgow and Margot Kidder , was a 1984 film for HBO . Fugitive Nights was made into a 1993 feature film of the same title. Hollywood Station series Parole board A parole board consists of people qualified to make judgements about

308-418: A gritty texture to his flawed police characters. Beginning with The Choirboys , Wambaugh changed his approach and began to use dark humor and outrageous incidents to emphasize the psychological peril inherent in modern urban police work. Many characters are referenced by often unflattering nicknames rather than given names, while other characters are given whimsical names to paint an immediate word portrait for

352-458: A guest lecturer for the theater department at the University of California, San Diego . In 2006, Wambaugh returned to fiction with the publication of Hollywood Station , set in the summer of 2006. It was his first novel since Floaters (1996) – and his first to depict the officers and detectives of LAPD since The Delta Star (1983). Hollywood Station was highly critical of conditions caused by

396-440: A gun in my back. Give him your gun." Hettinger did as his partner requested. The two officers were then forced into Powell's car and, within 30 seconds after the traffic stop began, were driven north from Los Angeles on Route 99, to an onion field near Bakersfield , where Campbell was fatally shot. Hettinger was able to escape, running nearly four miles to reach a farmhouse. The killing occurred primarily because Powell assumed that

440-477: A hearing and eventually rescinded Powell's release date. Following this, Powell's attorney was successful in convincing Solano County Superior Court Judge, Ellis Randall, to order Powell's release from prison in ten days, ruling that Citizens for Truth's public outcry was the sole reason Powell's release was rescinded, which at the time was legally improper. Valerie Campbell then joined Citizens for Truth's representatives, John Mancino and Dr. Howard Garber, along with

484-633: A judgement about whether a prisoner will affect public safety if released, but do not form an opinion about whether the initial sentencing was appropriate. The boards are non-departmental public bodies respectively of the UK government (Parole Board for England and Wales), the Scottish Government (Parole Board for Scotland), and the Northern Ireland Executive (Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland). There are 52 parole boards in operation in

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528-419: A legal notice of their request for a pardon in a newspaper located in or near the county where the inmate seeking the pardon was convicted and sentenced. In addition Mississippi courts have held that a pardon when given does not erase the criminal record. Determinate sentencing has also severely reduced the power of many parole boards. Often, consideration of the opinion of the victim or victims or their family

572-460: A reimagined version of the events that took place in The Onion Field . The Adam-12 episode "Killing Ground" was based on this incident. Officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed are kidnapped by two armed robbers on the run. The only difference is Malloy and Reed are able to escape and turn the tables on their captors. Joseph Wambaugh Joseph Aloysius Wambaugh Jr. (born January 22, 1937)

616-558: Is The Blooding , which tells the story behind an early landmark case in which DNA fingerprinting helped solve two murders in Leicester , England. The DNA evidence resulted in the arrest and conviction of Colin Pitchfork . In 2003, Fire Lover: A True Story brought Wambaugh his second Edgar Award, for Best Crime Fact book. In 2004, he received an MWA Grand Master Award . In the 2000s, Wambaugh also began teaching screenwriting courses as

660-529: Is an American writer known for his fictional and nonfictional accounts of police work in the United States. Many of his novels are set in Los Angeles and its surroundings and feature Los Angeles police officers as protagonists. He won three Edgar Awards , and was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. The son of a police officer, Wambaugh was born in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . He joined

704-451: Is taken into account in the board's final determination (see victims' rights ). Compared to the states still using indeterminate sentencing and relying more heavily on parole, those using determinate sentencing contributed less to the higher incarceration rates from 1980-2009. Parole boards have often been looked at as a contributor towards mass incarceration and as an area needing great reform. Significant research has not yet been made into

748-598: The California Medical Facility in Vacaville . He was 79 years old. Smith was released in 1982 but returned to prison several times on drug-related parole violations. In December 2006, he failed to report to his parole officer , and a warrant was issued for his arrest. In February 2007, a man matching Smith's description was detained by police in Los Angeles' Skid Row area and eventually identified as Smith. He

792-607: The California Supreme Court ruled in California v. Anderson (1972) that California's death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment . In April 1982, following the release of Jimmy Lee Smith from prison, Valerie Campbell, the daughter of the slain Officer Ian Campbell, contacted John Mancino. Mancino was the founder of Citizens for Truth, an organization that had recently led a successful petition effort to rescind

836-688: The Palm Springs lifestyle of wealthy people with second homes, inclinations to drugs and drinking, and restricted country clubs . The Secrets... was also a rather grim testimony to how fathers coped with the loss of a child. With The Golden Orange , set in Orange County ; Finnegan's Week , set in San Diego ; and Floaters , set in San Diego within the events of the America's Cup yacht racing, Wambaugh broadened

880-474: The U.S. Marine Corps at age 17 and married at 18. Wambaugh is of Irish and German descent. Wambaugh received an associate of arts degree from Chaffey College and joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 1960. He served for 14 years, rising from patrolman to detective sergeant. He also attended Cal State Los Angeles , where he earned BA and MA degrees. Wambaugh's perspective on police work led to his first novel, The New Centurions , which

924-408: The 1970s and 1980s. The New Centurions was a theatrical film starring George C. Scott released in 1972. The Blue Knight , a novel following the approaching retirement and last working days of aging veteran beat cop "Bumper" Morgan, was made into an Emmy-winning 1973 TV miniseries starring William Holden . It was also adapted as a short-lived TV series starring George Kennedy . Wambaugh made

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968-500: The LAPD, with story ideas and characters supposedly inspired by off-the-record talks with actual police officers. At times, the show's characters also dealt with problems not usually seen or associated with typical TV cop shows, such as alcohol abuse, adultery, and brutality. Wambaugh appeared in his second brief acting role in the second-season episode "Incident in the Kill Zone". The show had

1012-641: The United States. Some states require all members to possess a four year degree, while others do not. Additionally, some states require at least one member to be an ex-convict, and some require corrections experience, but there are no nation-wide parole board qualifications. Each state has a different requirement for parole board appointment. On the federal level , there is no longer parole except for certain military and foreign crimes. The United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines (enacted in 1987) discontinued parole for those convicted of federal crimes for offenses committed after November 1, 1987. Instead of parole

1056-565: The board from the state governor also varies; in some states the boards are more powerful than in others. In some states the board is an independent agency while in others it is a body of the department of corrections . In 44 states, the parole members are chosen by the governor. Parole boards throughout the states often act on the governor's influence and reportedly feel the need to do so to ensure job security. However, fourteen states have eliminated or severely restricted access to parole, turning instead to "determinate sentencing" which specifies

1100-484: The board to deny parole, calling Powell a "vicious murderer who has not yet paid his debt to society". On October 18, 2011, the California State Parole Board denied compassionate release for Powell, who had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer . The board stated that Powell did not wish to be released from prison and was likely to be uncooperative if paroled. Powell died on August 12, 2012, at

1144-621: The exact length of sentence, subject still, in most cases, to time off the sentence for good behaviour. Nine states in the United States have boards of pardons and paroles that exclusively grants all state pardons. Alabama (Board of Pardons and Paroles), Arizona (Board of Executive Clemency) Connecticut (Board of Pardons and Paroles), Georgia (Board of Pardons and Paroles), Idaho (Commission of Pardons and Paroles), Minnesota (Board of Pardons), Nebraska (Board of Pardons), Nevada (Board of Pardon commissioners, South Carolina (Board of Probation, Parole and Pardon), and Utah (Board of Pardons and Paroles) are

1188-600: The federal consent decree under which the LAPD had to operate after the Rampart scandal . In 2008, he followed it with Hollywood Crows , a sequel featuring Hollywood Division Community Relations Officers ("Crows") that featured many of the same characters. This was followed by Hollywood Moon in 2009, Hollywood Hills in 2010, and Harbor Nocturne in 2012, set in successive calendar years and involving officers of Hollywood Station's midwatch (5:00 pm to 3:00 am). The only recurring characters to appear in all five books of

1232-695: The group's attorneys, in filing a legal brief in the First District Court of Appeals in San Francisco, demanding that Powell remain in prison. The group prevailed both at the appeals court and the California Supreme Court, thereby leading to Powell's spending the rest of his life in prison, where he died in 2012. At a parole board hearing on January 27, 2010, Powell was denied parole. In a January 21, 2010 letter to state corrections officials, Los Angeles Police Union President Paul Weber urged

1276-453: The initial incident and the following treatment. Eventually a police training video was made using his experience as an example of what not to do when stopping and approaching a vehicle. Hettinger was forced to resign from the LAPD in 1966, after being accused of shoplifting. Years later, he was elected a supervisor of Kern County, California, where he served multiple consecutive terms. He died of liver disease in 1994 at age 59. Powell

1320-553: The interconnection of parole and other sectors such as media and politics, but many call for a separation between the sectors and a sweeping de-politicization of the appointment process. Additionally, many have looked towards increasing qualifications for parole board members to be comparable with those of judges. Alongside the heightening of standards, a general call of an increase in comprehensive training, transparency, and accountability of parole boards has been widely called for, as many current parole board members have never set foot in

1364-520: The kidnapping of the officers alone already constituted a capital crime under the state's Little Lindbergh Law . However, Powell's interpretation was incorrect. Under the Little Lindbergh Law at that time, kidnapping became a capital crime only if the victim were harmed or if a ransom were demanded. On August 10, 2012, the intersection of Carlos Avenue and Gower Street in Hollywood, the site of

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1408-432: The legislation provided that judges may specify as part of sentencing, a period of supervised release to be served after the prison sentence. Prisoners may also receive time off their sentences for "good behavior". However, this truth in sentencing legislation also requires federal prisoners to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences. The United States Parole Commission remains the parole board for those who committed

1452-527: The mores and extravagances of the Southern California "rich and famous" lifestyle. The Black Marble parodied dog shows and the fading lifestyle of "old" Pasadena , but not entirely unsympathetically. The Glitter Dome explored the pornographic film industry, The Delta Star delved into the politics and intrigue of the Nobel Prize and scientific research, and The Secrets of Harry Bright savaged

1496-581: The officers' abduction, was named "Ian Campbell Square" in honor of the slain officer. Additionally, a section of the Hollywood Freeway ( California State Route 101 ) in Hollywood, from Hollywood Boulevard to Highland Avenue, was designated the "Ian J. Campbell Memorial Freeway." Although Hettinger escaped, he felt scorned by his fellow officers and officials at the Los Angeles Police Department, and suffered severe emotional trauma for both

1540-467: The parole date of Sirhan Sirhan , who had been convicted of assassinating presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy . Mancino drafted a petition to have Powell's scheduled release rescinded. With Valerie Campbell's help, he collected 31,500 signatures in three and a half weeks, which were submitted to the California Board of Prison Terms, along with several thousand letters. The parole board then held

1584-464: The reader. Wambaugh became sharply critical of the command structure of the LAPD and individuals within it, and later, of the city government as well. The character Deputy Chief Digby Bates in The Black Marble , for example, is likely a thinly veiled lampoon of Chief Daryl Gates . Beginning with The Black Marble in 1977, Wambaugh devoted at least half of a narrative to satirical observations of

1628-597: The scope of his observations. He was a sharp observer of locations where he lived as a current celebrity himself. In 1992, Wambaugh generated controversy with his nonfiction book Echoes in the Darkness , based on the murder of Susan Reinert , a teacher in the Upper Merion School District in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . Critics alleged that the author paid prosecutors in the trial of principal Jay C. Smith to funnel information to him before an arrest

1672-497: The series are "Hollywood Nate" Weiss, a cop with dreams of movie stardom; "Flotsam" and "Jetsam", two cops who are avid surfers and always speak in a thick surfer lingo; and "Compassionate Charlie" Gilford, a lazy night-watch detective who functions as a sardonic Greek chorus . The incidents in which the various police characters are involved are based in part on anecdotes Wambaugh collects from working police officers. Many of his books were made into feature films or TV movies during

1716-416: The states in the United States with such boards. (Arizona's Board of Executive Clemency conducts parole hearings only for inmates who have committed offenses prior to January 1994, parole having been abolished by statute in 1993). Mississippi's state constitution includes a unique provision that any inmate seeking a pardon from that state's governor must, at least thirty days before making the request, publish

1760-506: The suitability of a prisoner for return to free society. Members may be judges , psychiatrists , or criminologists , although some jurisdictions do not have written qualifications for parole board members and allow community members to serve as them. A universal requirement is that board candidates be of good moral fiber. In the United Kingdom parole board members are also drawn from a wider circle of professions. The boards typically make

1804-470: Was arrested on the night of the murder, after being spotted driving a stolen vehicle by California Highway Patrol officers. The following day, Smith was apprehended as well. The lead LAPD investigator on the case was Sergeant Pierce Brooks. Both suspects were convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Ultimately, they received life sentences . For each, the lower court sentence followed a second trial and several appeals. Their death sentences were vacated when

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1848-679: Was arrested, charged with violating his parole, and sent to the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, California . On April 7, 2007, while in that facility, he died of an apparent heart attack at age 76. The book was adapted into a 1979 film of the same name directed by Harold Becker . It starred John Savage as Karl Hettinger, James Woods as Gregory Powell, Franklyn Seales as Jimmy Smith, and Ted Danson (in his film debut) as Ian Campbell. TNT 's Southland season 5 episode 9 titled "Chaos" (original airdate April 10, 2013) portrayed

1892-812: Was made. Smith's conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on the grounds that the prosecution hid the existence of sand that could have supported Smith's case. The chief investigator, John J. Holtz of the Pennsylvania State Police , later admitted having accepted $ 50,000 from author Wambaugh. Smith sued the police for collusion to falsely convict him, but lost after a federal appeals court concluded that despite his release, evidence of his guilt remained overwhelming. The earlier murder conviction of Smith's alleged co-conspirator, William Bradfield, remained undisturbed. Bradfield died in prison. One of Wambaugh's most known nonfiction books

1936-676: Was published early in 1971 to critical acclaim and popular success, while Wambaugh was still a detective. He later quipped that suspects would ask for his autograph. Soon turning to writing full time, Wambaugh was prolific and popular starting in the 1970s. He mixed writing novels ( The Blue Knight , The Choirboys , The Black Marble ) with nonfiction accounts of crime and detection (true crime): The Onion Field . His later books included The Glitter Dome (a TV-movie adaptation that starred James Garner and John Lithgow ), The Delta Star , and Lines and Shadows . In contrast to conventionally heroic fictional policemen, Wambaugh brought

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