Wambaugh retired from the LAPD in 1974, after serving 14 years. With his first three books making the best seller lists, the first two were adapted into films rather quickly. "The New Centurions" was on The New York Times best seller list for 32 straight weeks and opened to worldwide film audiences in August of 1972, while "The Blue Knight" aired to television audiences in 1973. Joe Wambaugh had become famous, and with that fame and notoriety came a myriad of problems he deemed too disruptive to the business of police work, forcing him to leave his beloved job for the LAPD and become a full-time writer. There were pranks at his station house, some officers with whom he served who treated him differently, and guest invitations on the talk show circuit, to name a few. When I asked how many appearances he'd made on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson, alone, he answered with a humble reply of, "I don't know how many [for sure] but several."
Though he would go on to write 18 more books and create the popular television anthology, "Police Story" in 1974, Wambaugh has decidedly elected to put down his pen and paper to simply reminisce on all the work of his past, leaving future stories to those who may continue to attempt to succeed his award-winning work in true crime books and cop dramas.
Suggesting "The Sopranos" was the only television show beyond his own he ever watched with any consistency, he also has added,"I have not been approached on the street or in any public place for at least 30 years. I am not a movie star, just a writer. I am not sure that people read books the way they used to do, so my guess is that no writers are frequently recognized and approached for autographs. Not only has the general public forgotten me, but even young cops have no idea who I am these days. And not all of the older cops remember my name, either. It’s a different world, Lori."
Just like there can only be one Fred Astaire, regarded as the greatest popular-music dancer of all time, there can only be one Michael Jackson, referred to as the "King of Pop" and one of the most significant cultural figures and the greatest entertainer in the history of music. As for the greatest true crime writer of books, films, and television, particularly in the subsegment genre of cop dramas, there can only be one famed, icon, regarded as the most significant game changer in the portrayal of the life and times of the American police officer, and that individual will always be, hands-down, Joseph Aloysius Wambaugh.
Finally, when asked what recommendations he would make to anyone who wants to become a law enforcement officer, Wambaugh responded with the good humor and great candor that nobody like him possesses. He said, "In my book, Hollywood Station, ‘the Oracle,’ a senior sergeant, tells young cops that doing good police work is the most fun that they will ever have in their lives. I do not know if that is still true." He also noted, “If you want love, join the fire department. People needy of approval should not become cops."
Lori Cooper is the daughter of a late Columbus, Ohio police officer shot in the line of duty and whose perpetrator eluded authorities for 44 years until her own search resulted in his apprehension. Her story, featured by hundreds of news organizations, catapulted her to success as an expert law enforcement advocate, where she now writes for law enforcement media groups and is a highly acclaimed guest on national radio and television. An Ohio University Social Studies Major, she has written a book about her story, titled THE SOUND OF SILENCE. She can be reached at www.WriterLoriCooper.com
