Ralph Fat, Batman and the NYPD

October 15, 2006 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to police officers turned authors, added nine NYPD police officers turned writers: Lou Eppolito, Remo Franceschini, David Durk, David Greenberg, Charles Diggett, Steven Dubinsky, William Fox, Mary Glatzle and Michael Grant.

Although his father was a Mafia hitman, Lou Eppolito chose the uniform of the NYPD; and, became one of its most decorated cops. Eppolito’s father, “Ralph Fat” Eppolito, was a Mafia hit-man. But, even Lou’s sterling record could not protect him when police brass decided to take him down. Lou Eppolito’s book, “Mafia Cop,” tells the story of the destruction of a good cop by his own police department. Although Lou Eppolito would be completely exonerated of charges of passing secrets to the mafia, he didn't stand a chance of regaining his dignity and his pride.

Remo Franceschini career in the New York Police Department spanned from 1957 to 1991. He worked in a variety of specialized units, spending his last 14 years working in a squad assigned to the Queens District Attorney. According to Franceschini, he was the first NYPD detective to determine the structure of the New York Costa Nostra. Throughout his career, Remo Franceschini was responsible for arresting dozens of Mafia gangsters. His book, “A Matter of Honor: One Cop's Lifelong Pursuit of John Gotti and the Mob,” tells the story of his career.

David Durk, the author of “The Pleasant Avenue Connection,” joined the New York Police Department in 1963. Durk’s NYPD career as an honest cop awash in police corruption is documented by James Lander in “Crusader: The Hell-Raising Police Career of Detective David Durk.”

David Greenberg and Robert Hantz joined the New York Police Department to fight crime, not direct traffic. The police officer’s tale of off-beat crime fighting techniques that ultimately won them detective shields (and the street name Batman and Robin) was first told in L.H. Whittemore’s “The Super Cops: The true story of the Cops Called Batman and Robin.” Whittemore’s book became the 1974 movie “Super Cops.” Later, Daivd Greenberg would write the sequel (of sorts) to Super Cops in his book, “Play it to a Bust.”

Other New York Police Department authors that were added are: Charles Diggett (Hypnocop: True-Life Cases of NYPD’s First Investigative Hypnotist), Steven Dubinsky (Decoy Cop I and II), William Fox (Cop and the Kid), Mary Glatzle (Muggable Mary, My Life with the Street Crime Unit) and Michael Grant (Line of Duty, Officer Down and Retribution).

Police-Writers.com hosts 175 police officers and their 472 books in six categories.