Davis Names Ex-LAPD Officer Chairman of State Parole Board

Gov. Gray Davis on Wednesday named a former Los Angeles police lieutenant to head the state parole board.

David A. Hepburn, 49, has been a member of the nine-member board since August. As its chairman, he will receive a salary of $99,343.

Hepburn’s appointment comes two days after Davis failed in his effort to reappoint the former chairman, James W. Nielsen. A onetime Republican state senator initially placed on the board by former Gov. Pete Wilson, Nielsen had served as chairman since 1991.

Davis wanted to keep Nielsen in his post, but the leader of the state Senate blocked the move. Sen. John Burton (D-San Francisco) said he opposed Nielsen because a federal judge had found the board routinely abused the rights of disabled prisoners during parole hearings.

“Responsibility for some of that should be laid at the feet of the chairman,” said Burton, noting that some prisoners who use wheelchairs were forced to crawl up stairs to attend their parole hearings.

On Monday, Davis noted that Nielsen had been popular with victims’ rights groups and law enforcement and pledged to appoint someone “equally qualified” to head the board.

Hepburn, a resident of Huntington Beach, joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1972, rising to become a sergeant and lieutenant. He supervised field officers in units including gang enforcement and narcotics investigation.

Immediately before his August appointment, Hepburn was president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League. His elevation to chairman must be confirmed by the Senate.

The state Board of Prison Terms conducts hearings for ex-convicts who violate their parole and for inmates whose life sentences--for murder, kidnapping and other crimes--carry the possibility of parole.