Richard Belzer: “I Am Not A Cop”

Not a cop, just plays one on TV


Richard Belzer’s new novel, ”I Am Not A Cop” has just been released.

USA Today has a great article about the book and about Richard's writing of the book. An excerpt follows; you can find the full article here.

Excerpt from USA Today Article "Richard Belzer is 'not a cop,' but he is an author":

In his book, Belzer, the narrator, says, "I am not a cop. Really. I've just been playing one on television so long that people get a little confused sometimes."

Belzer calls Cop a "reality novel." It's "fiction based on my life. It uses the reality of my job and how people react to me and imagines what if I got mixed up in trying to solve a real crime," which he's never done.

Unlike the fictional Belzer, the real one isn't skilled in martial arts.

"That's Michael Black," Belzer says of his co-writer, an author and former SWAT team leader in Chicago who has a black belt in tae kwon do. "In the novel, I'm imbued with his skills."

Belzer says the plot, which involves the Russian Mob and diamond smuggling, was his idea. As was casting himself in his own novel.

"For years I've been fascinated by the intersection of celebrities and reality," he says, recalling an incident from his days on Homicide: "We were shooting in an alley with prop cop cars. I was holding a prop gun when a real-life shoplifter ran around the corner. He saw me, dropped his bag and put his hands up. Then he recognized me. But by then, a real security guard had caught him."


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