The Onion Field facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Joseph Wambaugh |
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| Cover artist | Paul Bacon |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | nonfiction |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
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Publication date
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1973 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 427 pp |
| ISBN | 9780440066927 |
The Onion Field is a true story book written in 1973 by Joseph Wambaugh. He was a police sergeant in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The book tells the story of two LAPD officers who were kidnapped by two criminals during a traffic stop. Sadly, one of the officers was later murdered.
Contents
What Happened Next
After the book was released, one of the criminals, Jimmy Lee Smith, was let out of prison in 1982. Valerie Campbell, whose father, Officer Ian Campbell, was killed, then reached out to John Mancino. He led a group called Citizens for Truth. This group had recently helped keep another famous criminal, Sirhan Sirhan, in prison.
Mancino started a petition to stop the other criminal, Gregory Powell, from being released. With Valerie Campbell's help, they gathered over 31,000 signatures in just a few weeks. They sent these to the California Board of Prison Terms, along with thousands of letters. The board then decided that Powell should not be released.
Powell's lawyer tried to get him out of prison. A judge ordered Powell's release, saying the public's outcry was the only reason his release was stopped. Valerie Campbell and the Citizens for Truth group fought this decision in court.
They won their case in two higher courts, including the California Supreme Court. This meant that Gregory Powell stayed in prison for the rest of his life. He passed away in prison in 2012.
To honor Officer Ian Campbell, a street intersection in Hollywood was named "Ian Campbell Square" in 2012. Also, a part of the Hollywood Freeway (California State Route 101) was named the "Ian J. Campbell Memorial Freeway."
Karl Hettinger's Story
Karl Hettinger was the officer who escaped the kidnapping. However, he faced a very tough time afterward. He felt like other police officers and leaders at the LAPD looked down on him. He suffered a lot of emotional pain from the event and how he was treated. Later, a police training video was made using his experience to show what officers should not do when stopping a car.
Hettinger had to leave the LAPD in 1966 after being accused of shoplifting. Years later, he was elected to a leadership position in Kern County, California. He served many terms there. He died in 1994 at age 59 from liver disease.
The Suspects
Gregory Powell was arrested the night Officer Campbell was killed. Police found him driving a stolen car. Jimmy Lee Smith was caught the next day. Both suspects were found guilty of murder. They were first sentenced to death, but later their sentences were changed to life in prison. This happened after the California Supreme Court ruled in 1972 that the death penalty in California was "cruel and unusual punishment."
Gregory Powell
At a parole board meeting in 2010, Powell was not granted parole. The Los Angeles Police Union President, Paul Weber, wrote a letter asking the board to keep Powell in prison. He called Powell a "vicious murderer" who had not fully paid for his crime.
In 2011, the California State Parole Board again denied Powell's request to be released, even though he had terminal prostate cancer. The board said Powell did not want to be released and would likely not cooperate if he were. Powell died on August 12, 2012, at a medical facility in Vacaville. He was 79 years old.
Jimmy Lee Smith
Smith was released from prison in 1982. However, he went back to prison several times for breaking his parole rules. In 2006, he did not report to his parole officer, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. In 2007, police found and arrested Smith in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles. He was sent to a detention center. On April 7, 2007, he died there from what appeared to be a heart attack. He was 76 years old.
Movies and TV Shows
The book was made into a movie in 1979 with the same name. It was directed by Harold Becker. The film starred John Savage as Karl Hettinger and James Woods as Gregory Powell. Franklyn Seales played Jimmy Smith, and Ted Danson played Ian Campbell in his first movie role.
The TV show Southland on TNT had an episode in 2013 called "Chaos." It showed a new version of the events from The Onion Field.
The Adam-12 TV show also had an episode called "Killing Ground" based on this incident. In that episode, officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed are kidnapped by robbers. But in their story, Malloy and Reed manage to escape and turn the tables on the criminals.
See also
In Spanish: Campo de cebollas para niños
