Joseph Wambaugh

Joseph Wambaugh
Wambaugh in 2010
BornJoseph Aloysius Wambaugh Jr.
(1937-01-22)January 22, 1937
East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedFebruary 28, 2025(2025-02-28) (aged 88)
Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.
OccupationWriter
EducationChaffey College (AA)
Cal State LA (BA, MA)
GenreMystery
SubjectNon-fiction crime
Police procedural
Years active1971–2012
Notable awards
Spouse
Dee Allsup
(m. 1955)
Children3
Military career
BranchUnited States Marine Corps
Service years1954–1957
Police career
CountryUnited States
DepartmentLos Angeles Police Department
Service years1960–1974
Rank
  • Patrolman
  • Detective sergeant

Joseph Aloysius Wambaugh Jr. (January 22, 1937 – February 28, 2025) was an American writer known for his fictional and nonfictional accounts of police work in the United States. Many of his novels are set in Los Angeles and its surroundings and feature Los Angeles police officers as protagonists. He won three Edgar Awards, and was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.