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.

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

Joseph Wambaugh, the former LAPD officer who brought realism to the "Police Story" TV series and books like "The Onion Field," died Friday.

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.