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.