Joseph Wambaugh created ‘Police Story.’

His beat included ‘Police Story’

Popular novelist Joseph Wambaugh burst on the literary scene while working as a detective with the LAPD with his 1971 novel, “The New Centurions,” followed by such bestsellers as “The Blue Knight” and “The Choirboys.” In 1973, he created the Emmy Award-winning NBC anthology series “Police Story,” which ran until 1978. On Tuesday, Shout! Factory is releasing the first season of the series, a precursor to such cop shows as NBC’s “Hill Street Blues” and ABC’s “NYPD Blue.” Among the guest stars were Robert Stack, Mike Connors and even a young Sylvester Stallone. “Police Story” spawned three other series, most notably Angie Dickinson’s 1974-78 hit, “Police Woman.”