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RIP Joe Wambaugh

DanOregon

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2007
Messages
45,567
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/m...onion-field-new-centurions-author-1236150512/

I've read pretty much all of his books. Actually made me interested in being a cop for a time, then I did a few ride alongs and I realized you are dealing with people who can't solve their own problems 85 percent of the time. Ended up being a reporter and covered cops.
Enjoyed the "cop-humor" in the books mostly. Also was quite good at fleshing out characters. Probably his greatest impact was moving the pop-culture cop stereotype of the "hero" to showing cops as human beings warts and all and he created "Police Story" for NBC. The TV show SouthLAnd could have been written by him.
 
What a second act! Only book of his I ever read was the Onion Field at age 11. Left a big impression on me. RIP.
 
SouthLsnd was so good, one of the best cop shows ever, up there with Hill Street Blues and L&O.
 

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