Ineligible Volunteer File on Stephen D. Field

Added March 15, 1988

In around 1920, soon after the Boy Scouts of America (“BSA”) was formed, the organization began keeping files on adult leaders and volunteers who were alleged to have committed various crimes and offenses. The files are known today as the “Ineligible Volunteer” or the “I.V. Files.”

The I.V. Files are made up of six categories of offenses including Perversion, Morals, Financial, Leadership, Theft and Criminal. By far the largest category is the Perversion Files, or “P Files” as the BSA internally refers to them. The Perversion Files contain the names of adult leaders who have been accused of, or convicted in a criminal court of, molesting or otherwise sexually abusing Boy Scouts.

Disclaimer: The information contained in each of the I.V. files was created solely by the Boy Scouts of America. The I.V. files for the period 1965 through 1985 were made public pursuant to a court order. By the terms of the court’s order, the names and contact information of persons identified as victims of sexual abuse and those that reported the abuse were redacted. If the person identified as the reporter of alleged abuse was a professional Scouter, i.e., an individual employed by the Boy Scouts of America or an affiliate, then the person’s name was not redacted. In 2012, the I.V. Files for the period 1986 through 1991 were made available to the public through the Los Angeles Times.

The information in the Perversion Files concerns allegations of child sexual abuse. In a number of the cases, the allegations were later substantiated by court proceedings. However, in a great many cases no such substantiation ever occurred.

The first page of each I.V. File is a “Confidential Record Sheet,” which provides basic background information on each individual. The information includes the individual’s date of birth, daytime job, and most importantly, his troop number and the basics of the allegations of abuse.

The following information was taken directly from the Ineligible Volunteer file of Stephen D. Field. If you continue to scroll down on this page, you will be able to view the entire file and/or download the entire file. If you have any problems downloading or viewing the file, please contact us.

Name

Stephen D. Field

Organization

Boy Scouts of America

Troop Number(s)

Troop 411 (Fillmore, California)
Troop 11 (Santa Monica, California)

Date Ineligible Volunteer File Opened

March 15, 1988
Residence City: Fillmone
Residence State: CA
Residence Zip: 93015
Date of Birth: April 29, 1905
Approximate Age When File Created: 42
Occupation: School Teacher
Weight: 275
Height: 6' 0"
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Summary: In 1971, Scoutmaster Stephen Field of Troop 11 and Troop 150 in Los Angeles, California, reportedly was forced to resign after three Scout alleged that he sexually abused them, including forcing them to pay strip poker on campouts.  Scouts also reported that Field forced them to engage in “homosexual activities on a number of different occasions.”  Field was immediately placed in the BSA’s Ineligible Volunteer file, but it does not appear that he was reported to law enforcement at that time. In 1988, however, Field reportedly was working as a high school teacher and was serving as a committee member of Troop 411 in Fillmore, California, when two 13-year-old Scouts reported that he molested them.  Field also allegedly had naked pictures of the boys and forced them to watch pornography at his home. The Troop was sponsored by the LDS Church.  During the criminal investigation, it was revealed that Field had been removed from a high school teaching position in 1982 due to child sexual abuse allegations. All of the above incidents followed the same pattern of grooming:  Field would befriend young boys and take them on special outings, such as camping trips and movies.  After isolating and grooming the boys, Field would give them back rubs and then molest them.  Field was, again, placed in the BSA’s Ineligible Volunteer file in 1988.

Approximate Location(s) where Stephen D. Field Served

View the Actual File on Stephen D. Field