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The Onion Field Joseph Wambaugh 9780385341592 Books

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The Onion Field Joseph Wambaugh 9780385341592 Books

It was frustrating to see how the guilty played the system. It really makes one understand how the public became frustrated with a lot of the fallout from the changes that were made from the 1960s through the 1980s that were backlashes to the decades of police misconduct, misuse of authority, and denial of constitutionally protected civil rights to suspects and persons of interest.
It is especially sad that Karl Hettinger was outlived by both killers. I can't help but believe that all the stress he went through beginning with the victimization at the hands of Powell and Smith that night in the onion field and acerbated by the subsequent trials and treatment by the justice system and the LAPD. It was unconscionable for the LAPD to make Karl a whipping boy for what happened. At least he and Helen were able to rebuild their lives as a family.
Ian Campbell never got to see his daughters grow up. He never got to hear Valerie play the pipes.
Jimmy Smith never made a serious attempt to do anything useful with his life. He remained a career criminal and a sniveling coward who was too obtuse to see the three fingers pointing back every time he pointed the finger at the rest of the world as the source of his troubles in his stupidly wasted life.
Greg Powell got his wish to live behind bars, which is best for the rest the population. He never did anything to justify the luck of his existence even within the walls of prison.
The excuse of the institutionalized man is no valid rationale for either Powell or Smith. Others have gone from rough childhoods and even prison as adults and still managed to become productive human beings. It seems from both of their backgrounds that these two sociopaths were made and not genetic anomalies.
It also shows the warts of the justice system that doesn't have a Hollywood ending. It is not wrapped up with a nice prescribed verdict and everyone goes back to normal like movies or television. Cases can drag interminably eating up attorneys and prosecutors, details get lost or forgotten as witnesses disappear or die, crazy motions redirect the focus of trials from the crimes and perpetrators, and the real victims and the crimes against them are lost in the shuffle and human wreckage is strewn in the wake.
As a nation we are still trying to adjust the delicate balance to the scales of justice because we are still far short of the ideal as recent events have revealed.
In the final chapters, Wambaugh speaks of Ian Campbell and Karl Hettinger and their suffering being forgotten. Thanks to this book, they will not be forgotten and hopefully the courts, attorneys, and administrators in police departments will continue to learn from it.


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The Onion Field Joseph Wambaugh 9780385341592 Books Reviews

What thrilling and exciting novel. The author goes into quite a bit of detail on all the important characters. It's really an important read because of the California law that it is suppose to follow. The two officers are tragic characters while the convicts are ugly, ignorant and show their true characters. It's important to know that this case went on for years. I am sorry for the lone survivor.
I read this when it was first released. I decided to re-read now, and I am glad. Limbaugh takes a horrific event and makes it reason. The real story is not in the murder itself, but in how we so badly mistreated the surviving officer. Hopefully, today we don't leave them in their own onion fields, like we did Officer Hettinger. His story is the true tragedy here.
I read The Onion Field many years ago and was spellbound. I wondered if, when I read it this many years later it would be as dynamic. It is a book with so much to say about our society, our judicial system, our views and treatment of those who work to protect us. It is even more pertinent today as it was in 1980 and perhaps can teach us where we left the tracks in our judicial system. An excellent read and as meaningful today as it was then.
An important work in teaching police officers. Wambaugh’s book was used repeatedly as an example for how not to take a felon into custody.
I was surprised at how thoroughly I was swept up into this book. The author made me feel as if I were there watching the entire thing. They made a movie about it long ago and I never thought of reading it until I saw the title pop up recently in an article online. So I thought why not give it a read. And I am glad I did. It is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys police procedurals. This true story takes you into the heart of it all.
I have read a handful of books twice, but this is the only book I've read three times. The Onion Field, originally published in 1973, is a classic true crime book.

It is the story of the murder of LA police officer Ian Campbell by a pair of small time losers, Gregory Powell and Jimmy Smith. Campbell's partner Karl Hettinger helplessly witnessed the murder and managed to escape a similar fate.

The fateful night on March 9, 1963, started when Campbell and Hettinger spotted Powell and Smith making a U-turn and had no light over their license plate. The officers pulled the two over and Powell managed to get the draw on Campbell. Hettinger surrendered his weapon and Powell and Smith drove the officers out to an onion field, where the murder occurred.

Powell was described as "boastful, an egomaniac and a cold-blooded killer."

Smith was described as "con-wise, cunning, more impetuous and cowardly."

Both were sociopaths.

Hettinger was second-guessed by the LAPD for surrendering his weapon and he was essentially blamed for Campbell's death. Racked with guilt, Hettinger suffered severe depression, impotence, nightmares and crying jags. Meanwhile, Powell and Smith experienced no guilt.

The trials of Powell and Smith lasted for seven years, subjecting Hettinger to even more suffering, humiliation and guilt. The ridiculousness of the justice system is highlighted. By the time the trials had ended (45,000 pages of transcript), Campbell had long been forgotten and Hettinger had suppressed many memories.

Author Joseph Wambaugh tells a riveting story of small-time losers, the psychological demise of a LAPD officer and a court system that seemingly favors criminals over victims.

This is a book that should be on your must-read list.
It was frustrating to see how the guilty played the system. It really makes one understand how the public became frustrated with a lot of the fallout from the changes that were made from the 1960s through the 1980s that were backlashes to the decades of police misconduct, misuse of authority, and denial of constitutionally protected civil rights to suspects and persons of interest.
It is especially sad that Karl Hettinger was outlived by both killers. I can't help but believe that all the stress he went through beginning with the victimization at the hands of Powell and Smith that night in the onion field and acerbated by the subsequent trials and treatment by the justice system and the LAPD. It was unconscionable for the LAPD to make Karl a whipping boy for what happened. At least he and Helen were able to rebuild their lives as a family.
Ian Campbell never got to see his daughters grow up. He never got to hear Valerie play the pipes.
Jimmy Smith never made a serious attempt to do anything useful with his life. He remained a career criminal and a sniveling coward who was too obtuse to see the three fingers pointing back every time he pointed the finger at the rest of the world as the source of his troubles in his stupidly wasted life.
Greg Powell got his wish to live behind bars, which is best for the rest the population. He never did anything to justify the luck of his existence even within the walls of prison.
The excuse of the institutionalized man is no valid rationale for either Powell or Smith. Others have gone from rough childhoods and even prison as adults and still managed to become productive human beings. It seems from both of their backgrounds that these two sociopaths were made and not genetic anomalies.
It also shows the warts of the justice system that doesn't have a Hollywood ending. It is not wrapped up with a nice prescribed verdict and everyone goes back to normal like movies or television. Cases can drag interminably eating up attorneys and prosecutors, details get lost or forgotten as witnesses disappear or die, crazy motions redirect the focus of trials from the crimes and perpetrators, and the real victims and the crimes against them are lost in the shuffle and human wreckage is strewn in the wake.
As a nation we are still trying to adjust the delicate balance to the scales of justice because we are still far short of the ideal as recent events have revealed.
In the final chapters, Wambaugh speaks of Ian Campbell and Karl Hettinger and their suffering being forgotten. Thanks to this book, they will not be forgotten and hopefully the courts, attorneys, and administrators in police departments will continue to learn from it.