107 NYPD officers

Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. With the addition of six New York Police Department police officers who have written books, Police-Writers.com now lists 107 NYPD police officers who have authored books.

On April 6, 2006, according to NPR, “two former police detectives have been convicted of working as hit men for the Mafia during their years on the force. A federal jury found Louis Eppolito and Steven Caracappa guilty of murder, racketeering, witness tampering and other charges. Prosecutors termed the string of crimes the "most violent betrayal of the badge this city has ever seen.” The story of bringing down the two cops who were Mafia hitmen is told by retired New York Police Department detective Thomas Dades in his co-authored book Skells: The Inside Story of the Mafia Cops Case.

Mike DeMarino was a New York Police Department police officer for five years. He tells the story of his career in Five Year Vest. Mike DeMarino states about his book, “whenever anybody would ask, “hey, Mike, what’s the NYC Police Academy like?” I always gave the same answer: High school. There was cheating on tests, cutting class and falling asleep in class. In HS this is expected from students. But in the police academy, one would expect a much more disciplined atmosphere. At least that’s what I thought. The only real difference is that in HS there is the possibility of failing. But to fail out of the academy you would literally have to have an empty space between your ears. Come share fine years on the job; enjoy the worst times of my life.”

Published in 1971, retired New York Police Department Captain, Frederick Egen, published Plainclothesman: A Handbook of Vice and Gambling Investigation. It has been called one of the earliest books on plainclothes investigations.

Charles Ferrara spent 16 years on the New York Police Department, retiring as a Lieutenant. On his career, Charles Ferrara said, “with the exception of my academy training and my last year as the Personnel Lieutenant with the Patrol Borough Manhattan South Command, all of my service time was as a street cop in high crime areas of the city.” For the last 15 years, Charles Ferrara has been a police chaplain. He authored the book Beyond the Badge: A Spiritual Guide for Cops and their Families. According to James V. Heidinger II, of Good News, “"The demands made upon an officer of the law are enormous. As a former cop and police chaplain, Chuck Ferrara understands that. He knows that to be successful, officers need something beyond the badge.”

Thomas J. Fitzsimmons worked 10-years as a New York Police Department Police Officer in the precinct dramatized in Paul Newman's Fort Apache-The Bronx. His is a Vietnam era Navy veteran, film/soap opera/TV commercial actor and the former co-host of the NBC-TV magazine-format talk show. Now A private investigator and recognized security expert, he has appeared on shows such as Good Morning America, Geraldo Rivera and Montel Williams. He is the author of Confessions of a Catholic Cop and Eastside Westside – New York Stories.


James J. Fyfe, a retired New York Police Department lieutenant passed away in 2005. According to Professor Todd Clear, John Jay College, James J. Fyfe” was a Distinguished Professor of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York. At the time of his death, he was serving as Deputy Commissioner for Training of the New York Police Department, a position he resumed after retiring from the department in 1979. James Fyfe was a senior fellow of the Police Foundation, a professor at American University and Temple University. He authored seven books, more than 75 articles and book chapters, and served as the editor of Justice Quarterly. As a recognized expert in police practices, James Fyfe testified before the United States Senate and Congress, and in federal and state courts in the District of Columbia, 38 states, and Canada.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 486 police officers (representing 206 police departments) and their 1023 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.