June 21, 1957
Los Angeles

William Parker, below left, and Jack Webb. Note that Parker says he would have never given permission for "Dragnet," which was initially approved in the Clemence "C.B." Horrall administration.

On July 16, 1966, Parker suffered a heart attack after receiving an award from the 2nd Marine Division Assn. during a banquet at the Statler Hilton Hotel. He died 35 minutes later at the age of 64.

His obituary includes this quote: "Man is the most predatory of all (in) the animal kingdom. He must have restraints."

There are those, especially officers I know who served under him, who say that if Parker were alive he would still be police chief (they often add that Eugene Biscailuz would still be sheriff). One of the most vivid remarks I ever heard about Parker came from the late federal Judge David Williams, the first African American on the federal bench west of the Mississippi. During an interview, Williams called Parker: "The king of bastards."

You don’t hear federal judges talking like that every day–certainly not on the record.

Part 1

Part 2