How Joseph Wambaugh’s books transformed the way we see police

Before Joseph Wambaugh, cops in books and movies were flat and unrealistic. His writing brought them to life — and changed law enforcement storytelling forever

March 05, 2025 05:01 PM • Lt. Dan Marcou

Editor’s note: On Feb. 28, 2025, Joseph Wambaugh, a former LAPD officer and bestselling crime author, passed away at 88. In this article, Police1 columnist Lt. Dan Marcou reflects on his friendship with the legendary Wambaugh and explores the lasting influence of his work on public perceptions of law enforcement.

When I reached out to one of the most inspirational people in my life, Joseph Wambaugh, several years ago about including him in my book, “Law Dogs II: More Great Cops in American History,” he responded with characteristic humility: “Thank you, Dan. That is very flattering. However, I was a mediocre cop and do not deserve to be in a book like that. I do appreciate you thinking of me.”

After explaining to the humblest cop I had ever known what his writing meant to me and so many officers of my era, he finally agreed to let me include his story — but only on the condition that it be placed in the section dedicated to good citizens who have helped law enforcement. Begrudgingly, I obliged.

Here is a portion of that story about the greatest law enforcement storyteller of all time...

Complete article:

https://www.police1.com/police...he-way-we-see-police

Damn

The family was almost always tuned into "Police Story" every week when the series first aired. I have Season One, on DVD, to include "Slow Boy" (the pilot movie which is linked at the bottom of the article tribute to Sgt. Wambaugh). I may have read only a couple of his books (The Blue Knight, for one) but was a fan of the movies his works inspired. Will watch a few episodes tonight, and Sunday night.

One of the founding fathers of "Choir Practice".
88 is a good long life!

Really sad to hear this. He was one of my favorite authors. I started with the early classics, The Biue Knight and The New Centurions. The Black Marble was also one that I really enjoyed. His nonfiction The Onion Field and Echoes in the Darkness were great.
A lot of good movies were made from his books and the already mentioned Police Story on TV. I still watch episodes of that on YouTube.

Damn. Finnegan’s Week is a really good book. It introduced me to Sig pistols as a kid, and I still use “methyl-ethyl-bad-shit” to describe nasty chemicals. Sad to hear of his passing.

quote:

The Onion Field

First to my mind.

Fire Lover was another great nonfiction effort from Wambaugh.

quote:

Originally posted by HGWTJWH:
...His nonfiction The Onion Field and Echoes in the Darkness were great...

In hindsight, my subject line should have read ..."mostly fiction..." but I'll leave it as is.

I well remember The Choirboys and The Black Marble.

Don't bother with the movie made of the former (I haven't seen the latter). It completely changes the plot near the end and fails miserably to convey the book. Wambaugh himself publicly distanced himself from it.

quote:

Originally posted by bdylan:
Fire Lover was another great nonfiction effort from Wambaugh.

As was "The Blooding."

I really enjoyed his books that I read, my mom loved his books!

I read them all; he was one of my favorite authors of all time.

Some 50 years ago my first job in NYC was a publicity associate at Dell Books. I interviewed Mr. Wambaugh for a press release about the paperback publication of The Onion Field. Unlike many of the famous authors I crossed paths with in that job, he was a perfect gentleman and very kind to me.

In 1972 I watched the movie "The New Centurions", which spurred me to read Wambaugh's book that it was based upon. This placed the bug in my ear about becoming a cop, though I had plenty of difficulties just earning enough to survive until I could afford to take some administration of justice classes three years later. I was shocked by how much I LOVED and EXCELLED in the subject matter compared to the boredom I dealt with in high school.

By 1976, I was in uniform in the Academy and couldn't be happier. Joseph Wambaugh didn't just entertain and inform me with his writing, he infected my young mind and spirit with a realistic understanding of the criminal justice system generally and specifically law enforcement's role in all of it, to the point where I actually turned down a family member's offer to pay my way through law school. I guess I was a real life version of Stacy Keach's character in the movie, seeing the pros of being a cop vs the cons of being a lawyer, besides the higher pay of the later career.

I was blessed with having some great "sponsors" during my career, that helped me learn the ins and outs of being a cop, but though I never met the man personally, he was my first. I can't overstate his impact on my life, all through his storytelling, fictional as well as factual. He didn't just inspire me, I knew many many other cops that got their start with Wambaugh's books and we all endured the wait between publications, some clearly better than others. Rest in Peace, Joe and thank you from all of us!