Stephen Downing (producer)

Stephen Downing
BornOctober 28, 1938
Hanford, California
EducationCalifornia State University, Los Angeles (BA)
Occupation(s)Television producer, screenwriter, activist, investigative journalist, retired-LAPD Deputy Chief
Notable workHuffington Post, New York Magazine, L.A. Times, Beachcomber
TelevisionMacGyver, T.J. Hooker, Kojak, Quincy, M.E, Knight Rider, F/X: The Series, Police Story
SpouseAdrienne Allen
Children(3) Michael P. Downing, Tambree Justice, Julie Davies

Stephen Downing (born October 28, 1938) is an American screenwriter, producer, activist, and investigative journalist who began his screenwriting career in the 1960s while still working as a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer.[1] Most of Downing's pre-1980 writing and producing credits appeared under pseudonyms to escape notice of the LAPD. Downing is active in the movement to end the international war on drugs and the militarization of police in America. In 2011, Downing became a board member of Law Enforcement Action Partnership, formerly known as Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), after years representing the group as a speaker.[2] He left the board in 2019, but is still an advisory board member who gives speeches and writes op-ed pieces on behalf of the group.[3] He also volunteers his time as an investigative journalist, with a focus on police corruption and reform, for a local print newspaper in Long Beach, California.[4] As a television producer and screenwriter he is best known for the series Walking Tall, RoboCop: The Series, T. J. Hooker and MacGyver.[5]

  1. ^ "Steve Downing on All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray | Friday, August 7, 2020". The VoiceAmerica Talk. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  2. ^ "Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Is Now "Law Enforcement Action Partnership" (LEAP)". MassCentral. 2017-11-26. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  3. ^ Downing, Stephen (2019-03-15). "Why Senate Bill 230 is no solution to bad shootings". courant.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  4. ^ "Articles by Stephen Downing | Beachcomber Journalist". Muck Rack. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  5. ^ "Stephen Downing". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2 December 2022.[dead link]