Bestselling crime novelist Joseph Wambaugh, who mined his own experience as a Los Angeles police officer, has died at 88.

Unlike those on 'Dragnet' and other cop shows, Wambaugh's fictional officers were often compromised and deeply flawed characters

Mr. Wambaugh’s best-selling books included the Los Angeles police novels “The New Centurions” and the true crime drama “The Onion Field.”

He wrote 'The Onion Field,' 'The New Centurions' and 'The Blue Knight' and created the realistic anthology series 'Police Story.'

In novels like “The Glitter Dome” and nonfiction works like “The Onion Field,” he took a harsh, unglamorous look at the realities of law enforcement.

In 1971, eleven years after joining the LAPD, Wambaugh saw his first novel, The New Centurions, published by Little, Brown and Co. The story of rookie LAPD cops in the early 1960s became his first bestseller and, the following year, the first movie based on his work. The film adaptation starred George C. Scott and Stacy Keach.

Joseph Wambaugh, a former police officer who became an acclaimed bestselling author, introducing audiences to the gritty, stark realities faced by fellow street cops, died Friday. He was 88. The longtime San Diego resident died of esophageal cancer in his second home in Rancho Mirage, said close friend Janene Gant.

Joseph Wambaugh, who has died aged 88, was a former Los Angeles detective who in the 1970s became a bestselling author of grim and gritty books about the police such as The Onion Field (1973) and The Choirboys (1975);

Former Los Angeles police officer turned best- selling author Joseph Wambaugh, known for books such as "The Onion Field" and "The New Centurions," has died at the age of 88.

Former Los Angeles police officer turned best- selling author Joseph Wambaugh, known for books such as "The Onion Field" and "The New Centurions," has died, according to multiple media outlets. He was 88.