After working for fifty two years…

After working for fifty two years, I thought it would be a good time to retire, at least from my day job, and do something that I truly enjoyed. That does not mean I did not enjoy working with my boss and office mates, but it meant I wanted to set my own agenda. So I wrote a book.

One summer evening in 2015, my wife and I sat around a campfire with some of our family members roasting marshmallows and telling stories. One of the grandkids said “Grampa Tom, Grampa Tom, tell us a scary story about when you were a policeman.” So I chose one that was rated “G.” But that got me thinking. I had many cop stories to share. In a notebook, I started jotting down one memory after another. It only took three or four words per note for an entire scene or event to come to life. After filling several pages of memories, I saw that I had more than enough to start writing. There were many memories that I chose not to share because I did not feel they would serve any good purpose.

My experience in writing was limited to what I learned in high school and college, police reports, and business proposals. I picked out the stories from my notebook that I felt would be interesting for the general public and for former and active law enforcement officers. I found some writing guide books that were helpful, including Natalie Goldberg’s book, Writing Down the Bones. That book inspired me and gave me the confidence to go for it.

If you happen to know a cop personally, you probably have respect for them as a person and for the job they do. You have also probably have heard a story or two from them about things they have seen or experienced. I personally have never known a cop who did not have intriguing stories to tell and who did not like sharing some of their stories.

During my years working with the San Francisco Police Department and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department, fellow officers and I would sometimes go to a local bar after finishing our swing shift. For an hour or so we would have few beers and swap stories of things we encountered during that night or earlier in the week. We would laugh at some of the stupid things we saw some people do, but we would also laugh at some of the things we did. Other times we would hide or wipe the tears as someone would talk about a tragedy they encountered.

Code 33: True California Cop Stories from the 1970s is my book. My intention and underlying message is to give the public a view of what cops do and see and to make it an interesting read. I also wanted to shed some positive light on our law enforcement community, especially in response to some of the harsh criticism cops have been receiving in recent years. I know firsthand that some cops have somehow slipped through the screening process and have no business wearing gun and a badge, but those cops, from my experience, are in a very small minority.

I hope if you have read this, you will read my book, Code 33.

Semper Fi, Tom Wamsley