The Police's debut album, Outlandos D'Amour, was released on A&M Records in October 1978. Miles Copeland, Stewart's oldest brother and now manager of the band, quickly realized while listening to the band rehearse that there was a notable "classic" among their songs. Miles carried this song, "Roxanne," to Los Angeles and made A&M an offer they couldn't refuse: in lieu of money, Miles asked that A&M simply release the album; all the rest of the promotion would be handled by him and Ian Copeland in the U.S. The Police had the opportunity to tour the U.S. twice at the end of 1978 and the spring of 1979; their travels helped build their audience and spread awareness of the band and its music. The unique sound of the Police became their trademark, and record by record the band found its place in music history.

With Reggatta De Blanc the Police embarked on their first world tour, from Asia to Australia, Europe to Africa, South America to North America. The Police exploded with the release of "Message In A Bottle," and Stewart's recognizable drumming earned him a place of great respect in the world of drummers. His original style is still one of the most influential in rock music today. During those early years, TAMA Drums adopted Stewart as one of its main artists; the company has since become a major name in the business worldwide.

Released in 1980, the band's third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, earned them status as the most important rock band in the world, and songs like "Don't Stand So Close To Me" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" became like hymns. Fame and fortune had arrived at last for Stewart's project, but the Police were now faced with the predominant image of Sting as unspoken leader of the band. No one denied the importance of Stewart's drumming and Andy's guitar, together with Sting's voice and reggae-influenced dub lines, in creating the sound of the Police; but Sting wrote most of the songs, and his image had become an icon of their music. After four years spent traveling the world and recording in the studio, the band began to suffer from overexposure.

The recording of their fourth album, Ghost In The Machine, saw the band move to Montserrat, an island in the Caribbean Sea. The hope was to give Andy, Sting, and Stewart a place to relax and get away from the everyday pressures, but the situation grew tense as the band started arguing about songs and other issues. Like brothers, the members of the Police had to sort out their different and often clashing egos, and new producer Hugh Padgham found himself stuck in the middle. After only a few days in the studio, he walked out. The band eventually convinced Hugh to stay and finish the album, but the situation remained difficult. Ghost In The Machine was released in October 1981 and became another great success.

The final chapter in the story of the Police arrived with their fifth album, Synchronicity, recorded in the winter of 1982/1983 and released in July 1983. The accompanying tour found the band at a crossroads: the Police were number one on all the charts, and every thing they touched turned to gold; but now that they had reached the top, they had nowhere left to go.

A historic concert at Shea Stadium in New York marked the beginning of the end. Faced with the choice between continuing on and repeating the same formula through easy and successful though likely boring episodes or giving up the Police project at its peak, the band chose to stop, to leave room to come back later when they had new things to say and new energies to give to the music. It wasn't an easy choice for the three musicians; few artists could face such a decision. But year after year, Sting, Andy, and Stewart realized that by suspending the Police at the height of its success, they had cemented the band's status as a legend in rock music history.