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William J. Caunitz (1933 — 1996) was a New York City Police Department officer who used his own experiences to write best-selling thrillers.

After serving in the United States Marine Corps, and working for an insurance company, he joined the NYPD in his twenties. He first worked as a patrolman, and eventually rose through the ranks to become a Lieutenant, followed by an assignment as a detective squad commander. Caunitz was praised for his "raw authenticity" when describing precinct day-to-day life in his novels, especially for One Police Plaza, which was eventually made into a television movie. His novels usually center around one or two police officers that follow detailed police procedures to solve a crime, and he also used some sensational elements of thrillers.

Caunitz died in 1996 from pulmonary fibrosis His last novel, Chains of Command, was half-completed at the time of his death and finished by Christopher Newman.

This author page uses material from the Wikipedia article "William Caunitz", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0