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.
Early years
In an October 2020 interview with Major Joe Searls of the United States Marine Corps, Wambaugh reflected on his early life: “I was born in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania… an only child in a blue-collar family. I lived there until I was 14 years old. Around that time, my parents and I traveled to Ontario, California, to bury a relative. Sunny California looked nothing like gritty, grimy Pittsburgh, so we ended up staying. My father supported us as a washing machine repairman.”
He continued: “I was a lazy student, almost always the youngest in my class. I graduated from Chaffey High School at 17—too young to get a real job and with no college ambition. I talked my mother into signing for me, and along with my best friend, I joined the Marine Corps on July 7, 1954. The Marine Corps made me grow up and realize the value and necessity of hard work.”
By the time Wambaugh enlisted, the Korean Conflict had ended, so he served in a peacetime Marine Corps, stationed on both coasts throughout his tour. He recalled: “After boot camp in San Diego, I was sent to Jacksonville for training as an airplane mechanic, but I had no mechanical dexterity. I was then transferred to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. My MOS [Military Occupational Specialty] was 0141 — also known then as ‘office pinkie’ — after my sergeant major discovered that I had learned one thing in high school: I could type. I spent the last 18 months of my enlistment at Camp Pendleton as a company clerk.”
Wambaugh married his high school sweetheart, Dee, and together they built a life that would take them in unexpected directions. After completing his service in the Marines, he attended college on the GI Bill and earned a degree in English. His original plan was to become a teacher, but when he discovered that the Los Angeles Police Department was hiring — and saw the salary they offered — he decided to apply.
At just 23 years old, Wambaugh joined the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department, beginning a career that would not only shape his own life but also redefine how the world viewed law enforcement.
LAPD Sergeant Joseph Wambaugh
Wambaugh handled everything from traffic stops and domestic disputes to drug arrests, gang activity, and homicides — along with situations most people couldn’t begin to imagine. After seven years, he was promoted to sergeant and assigned to Hollenbeck Station.
Los Angeles, then as now, was a challenging environment for police work, but it was also the perfect backdrop for a fledgling writer to collect the raw material needed for gripping, realistic stories. In fact, the things cops witness are often so unusual that readers of police fiction might easily mistake fact for fiction.
A voracious reader since childhood, Wambaugh devoured everything written by Jack London — along with countless comic books. He believed his deep love of stories made the transition to storytelling a natural one.
As an officer, Wambaugh saw firsthand the human interactions and dramatic moments that were meant to be told. He kept meticulous notes, not just about his own experiences but also the true stories shared by seasoned officers.
Some of these incidents left a lasting impact on him. One such case was the kidnapping of LAPD plainclothes officers Karl Hettinger and Ian Campbell, which led to Campbell’s murder near Bakersfield in the now-infamous “Onion Field” case.
Ten years into his career, Wambaugh began submitting short stories to magazines. At first, the rejections piled up. But that wouldn’t last forever.
Joseph Wambaugh turns cops into human beings
Before Wambaugh, police in literature, television, and movies were, as he put it, “depicted as stick figures.” Even iconic characters like Joe Friday from “Dragnet” and Reed and Malloy from “Adam-12" were one-dimensional.
That changed in 1970 when Wambaugh’s first novel, “The New Centurions,” hit the shelves. It shook the literary world and was hailed by critics as “…not your ordinary police novel.” He followed up with “The Blue Knight,” further cementing his reputation as a writer who told police stories the way they were meant to be told.
Wambaugh later took a six-month leave to research and write “The Onion Field,” a gripping true-crime account that became an instant success. The book was later adapted into a film starring Ted Danson.
With “The Choirboys” set for release and his writing career skyrocketing, Wambaugh made the heartbreaking decision to leave the job he loved. After 14 years in law enforcement, celebrity status made it impossible for him to remain a cop.
Joseph Wambaugh’s importance to law enforcement
Eventually, Wambaugh wrote 19 more books, eight of which were adapted for film and television. His impact on law enforcement is incalculable — no one had ever written about police the way he did.
Whether through his books, movie and TV adaptations, or the long-running series “The Police Story,” Wambaugh made it clear that law enforcement was physically dangerous. But what set him apart was his unwavering focus on a truth that had never been emphasized before: “The emotional dangers cannot be overemphasized.”
Cops of my generation breathlessly awaited every Wambaugh release. For the first time, a cop was writing honestly about violence, death, victimization, thoughtless supervisors, dishonest media, and the corrosive effects of premature cynicism. He also captured, with precision, the dark but brilliant humor that officers rely on as a form of self-defense.
Though his books resonated with many, Wambaugh spoke most directly to the men and women of law enforcement — officers who, until he put pen to paper, had only been portrayed as stick figures.
Wambaugh explained his approach to telling police stories by saying, “I concentrated not so much on how the cop acts on the job, but how the job acts on the cop.”
His book “The Onion Field” sparked the first honest discussions about police PTSD and how unprepared departments were to recognize and address it. After reading Wambaugh’s raw and unflinching account of Ian Campbell’s murder and the post-incident treatment of Karl Hettinger, many police trainers took a hard look at their methods and came to a stark realization: “We must do better.”
In “The Choirboys,” Wambaugh sent another critical message — one that resonated deeply with officers. Surviving the job wasn’t just about physical and emotional endurance; it was about legal survival, too. The lesson was clear: one bad decision can ruin a career and a life.
Conclusion
Sergeant Joseph Wambaugh’s writings didn’t just shape an entire generation of law enforcement officers — they also helped the public see police as living, breathing human beings rather than faceless enforcers.
The Marine Corps motto is Semper Fidelis — “always faithful.” There’s another saying in the USMC: “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” Looking back, now that Joe has passed, it’s clear he never truly left law enforcement.
As was said of one of his characters in his book “Hollywood Station,” the irreplaceable Joseph Wambaugh was “Semper Cop!”
P.S. When I told Joe I would send him a free copy of “Law Dogs II More Great Cops in American History,” which contained his story, he said, “Writer to writer, never give your books away. I will pay for a copy.”
Sources
- Interview with USMC Major Joe Searls
- Chapter on Joseph Wambaugh in “Law Dogs Two, More Great Cops in American History,” which was personally reviewed by Sgt. Joseph Wambaugh
