The Choirboys

For the Australian rock band The Choirboys, see The Choirboys (band).

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The Choirboys is a 1975 book written by novelist and former LAPD policeman Joseph Wambaugh.

Related Topics:
1975 - LAPD - Joseph Wambaugh

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The story is a tragicomic look at the on- and off-duty exploits of a group of policemen in Los Angeles' Rampart District who conduct unauthorized end-of-watch meetings or "choir practice" sessions in MacArthur Park, one of which ends with the accidental shooting of a young park transient. The accident is referred to frequently throughout the course of the novel. The meetings almost always involved heavy drinking and occasional group sex with a pair of lusty waitresses. "The Choirboys" is considered an indictment of police hierarchy in general especially because of the way the investigation into the shooting was handled.

Related Topics:
Policemen - Los Angeles - MacArthur Park - Hierarchy

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Though a movie based on the book was released in 1977, Wambaugh refused to have his name associated with the picture as he (and most critics) considered it to be subpar.

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Due to the success of the book and later movie, in the United States police officers use the slang term "choir practice" for any (not just drinking alcohol) recreational activity after work.

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