The Brighter Side of Blue Podcast

The Brighter Side of Blue
  • 4.9 (55)
  • True Crime
  • Updated Weekly

A podcast focusing of the great things law enforcement officers and agencies have done and continue to do on a daily basis.  Crime stories with interviews from those involved...victims, investigators, officers, informants, lawyers and more.

  1. 20h ago

    Tom Albus & Don Boyce: Cops, Prosecutors, Friendship & Justice

    Our featured interview (49:08) ... Tom Albus and Don Boyce have spent their careers on different sides of the same fight, protecting the community and putting some of the most serious criminals in the country behind bars.Tom Albus is the current U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri. Don Boyce is an Assistant U.S. Attorney who began his career as a St. Louis police officer before eventually making his way into federal prosecution.But their connection goes back much further than the courtroom. Tom and Don grew up together, went to school together and have been lifelong friends. Their careers took different paths, but eventually brought them together at the U.S. Attorney's Office.In this conversation, we talk about Don's years with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, his brother's career on the department's SWAT team, the relationship between local police and federal prosecutors, how the federal government works with local agencies, and what actually determines whether a case goes federal.They also talk about the federal Strike Force, some of the legendary prosecutors and investigators who helped build the U.S. Attorney's Office, and the enormous TT Jordan murder case, which resulted in Jordan's conviction for the murders of nine people connected to a drug organization.But there's plenty of the personal side, too. The two friends trade stories, talk about the people who influenced their careers, and give us a look at what it's really like to work inside one of the most important federal law enforcement offices in Missouri.It's a conversation about law enforcement, prosecution, friendship, St. Louis and the people behind the cases.And, as Don says during the conversation, we're all part of the same family trying to do the right thing. #TheBrighterSideOfBlue #TomAlbus #DonBoyce #USAttorney #USAttorneysOffice #EasternDistrictOfMissouri #StLouis #StLouisPolice #LawEnforcement #FederalProsecutor #FederalProsecution #PoliceStories #BehindTheBadge #StLouisHistory #CrimeStories #PublicSafety #TTJordan #Justice #TBSOB

  2. Sep 29

    Elliott Davis: The Stories, Battles & Investigations That Defined His Career

    After 45 years in St. Louis media, Elliott Davis has accumulated one hell of a collection of stories. In this episode of The Brighter Side of Blue, Elliott talks about his career, some of his biggest investigations, the time his cameraman Larry Washington was shot, growing up near Pruitt-Igoe, his battles with politicians and what life looks like now that he's retired. It's a wide-ranging conversation with one of the most recognizable voices in St. Louis media. #TheBrighterSideOfBlue #ElliottDavis #StLouis #StLouisMedia #FOX2 #InvestigativeJournalism #Journalism #StLouisHistory #LawEnforcement #PoliceStories #BehindTheBadge #PruittIgoe #Wellston #StLouisStories #TBSOB Hashtags

  3. Sep 22

    From Pruitt-Igoe to Ronald Reagan: Terry Korpal's Secret Service Story

    Terry Korpal started his law enforcement career as an SLMPD cadet in 1965, spent 10 years with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and went on to spend another 14 years with the United States Secret Service. Terry takes us back to his days in the 5th District and his time working in Pruitt-Igoe, including what it was like policing one of St. Louis' most notorious housing projects. Then he tells us how an unexpected opportunity took him from St. Louis to the Secret Service — and eventually put him on the protection detail for Ronald Reagan during Reagan's presidential campaign. And yes... there's a Bobo the monkey story. 😂 Terry also tells us about working protection details, investigating threats, life on the road with the Secret Service and one unbelievable encounter involving bank robber and Vietnam veteran William Thomas James. Plus, Terry talks about his new book, "The Barbarians," a fictional police story inspired by the St. Louis officers and experiences that shaped his career. It's a great conversation with a guy who has spent decades around some of the most interesting people, places and cases in American law enforcement. #TheBrighterSideOfBlue #TerryKorpal #SecretService #SLMPD #StLouisPolice #StLouis #LawEnforcement #PoliceStories #BehindTheBadge #RonaldReagan #SecretServiceAgent #PoliceHistory #PruittIgoe #StLouisHistory #TrueCrime #LawEnforcementStories #RetiredCop #PoliceFamily #StLouisMO #TheBarbarians

  4. Sep 17

    The Rafael Jackson Confession: 5 murders

    A confession that became one of the most talked-about videos on our YouTube channel is now available on all platforms In this interview, Rafael Jackson speaks directly with investigators and recounts his involvement in multiple violent crimes, answering questions about what happened, the weapons involved and the events surrounding the cases. This is an extraordinary look inside a real homicide investigation and the process of getting a suspect to explain, in his own words, what happened. #TheBrighterSideOfBlue #SLPOA #RafaelJackson #Confession #TrueCrime #HomicideInvestigation #PoliceInterview #Detectives #CrimeStories #LawEnforcement #StLouis #StLouisPolice #SLMPD #BehindTheBadge #TrueCrimeStories #PoliceStories

  5. Sep 15

    Joe Crews & Archie Shaw: A Brotherhood Built on the Job

    Featured Interview (31:14)...Some friendships are built over years. Others are forged in the heat of the job. Joe Crews and Archie Shaw worked together, chased the same bad guys, shared plenty of laughs and experienced some things that only fellow police officers can truly understand. Over the years, their professional relationship became something much more — a genuine friendship and a bond that lasted well beyond the badge. In this conversation, Joe and Archie sit down with us to talk about their careers, the cases they remember, the people they worked alongside and some of the stories that came out of their years together on the streets of St. Louis. There are plenty of laughs, plenty of crazy police stories and a great deal of respect between two guys who spent years having each other's backs. Some call them colleagues. We think “brothers” is a little closer. #TheBrighterSideOfBlue #SLPOA #JoeCrews #ArchieShaw #SLMPD #StLouis #PoliceStories #LawEnforcement #PoliceBrotherhood #BehindTheBadge #PoliceFamily #StLouisPolice #CopStories

  6. Sep 8

    Chief Robert Tracy: The First Outsider to Lead SLMPD

    (24:53) Our featured Interview...For the first time in its history, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department hired its chief from outside the department.Chief Robert Tracy came to St. Louis after more than four decades in law enforcement, with a career that took him from the Bronx to Chicago, Wilmington and ultimately St. Louis.And when he arrived, he knew exactly what he was walking into.SLMPD is a proud department with a long history, deep traditions and generations of officers who had spent their entire careers there. Tracy knew there would be skepticism about an outsider coming in to lead the department.But instead of flipping the table, he took a different approach.Respect the organization. Learn its history. Listen to its people. Give officers the tools to do their jobs. And make changes when changes are actually needed — not simply for the sake of making changes.In this episode of The Brighter Side of Blue, we sit down with Chief Robert Tracy for a conversation that goes well beyond crime statistics and the usual questions he gets from the media.We talk about what it was like coming into SLMPD as the department's first outside chief, how he earned the trust of the men and women wearing the badge, the changes he's seen over the past three years and why he believes the department is finding its stride again.But we also get to know the man behind the badge.Chief Tracy talks about his father, a highly respected NYPD homicide detective who helped shape his career, his mother and her career as a nurse, his wife Brenda, his five children and the importance of having mentors throughout a law-enforcement career.He talks about why he and his family have chosen to stay in St. Louis, what he loves about the city, St. Louis sports, his first encounter with St. Louis-style pizza and why he believes this city is often harder on itself than it needs to be.And yes... we even find out what happened when a young NYPD officer named Robert Tracy met Dolly Parton. 😂It's a very different conversation with the Chief — personal, funny, candid and a look at the man who came to St. Louis from the outside and decided to put down roots.Communities that support law enforcement are safer places to live.

  7. Sep 1

    The Battle After the Badge: Two Cops Talk About the Cost of Heroism

    Featured Interview (35:10)...What does it really cost to be a hero? This week on The Brighter Side of Blue, we're joined by two men who know that answer better than most. Colin Ledbetter was shot in the line of duty. He told us the story of that incident during his previous appearance on the show, but surviving the physical wounds was only part of the battle. James Frost brings his own experiences from a career in law enforcement, sharing stories that show what officers see, what they carry with them and what can happen long after the call is over. Two very different stories. Two different paths toward healing. But a common thread runs through both:Heroism has a cost.This is a conversation about the things officers experience, the things they don't always talk about, and what happens when the uniform comes off but the memories don't. It's honest, personal and at times difficult, but it's also a reminder that the men and women behind the badge are human beings. Two cops. Two stories. One fight. #TheBrighterSideOfBlue #LawEnforcement #Police #PoliceOfficers #FirstResponders #Heroism #BehindTheBadge #OfficerWellness #PoliceMentalHealth #StLouis #STL #ThinBlueLine

  8. Aug 25

    The Lemp Family: St. Louis' Most Haunted History...and a Possible Murder?

    (33:49) Featured Interview Stephen Walker...If you're from St. Louis, you probably know the Lemp Mansion. You may know the stories of the brewery, the family's incredible wealth, the tragedies and the suicides that helped make the mansion one of the city's most infamous landmarks. But there's a story you may not know. Stephen Walker has been researching the Lemp family since 1982. What started with a fascination with the mansion's ghost stories turned into decades of digging through old newspapers, records, museums and historical archives. In this conversation, Stephen takes us through the rise and fall of one of St. Louis' most powerful families before turning his attention to the death of Elsa Lemp Wright in 1920. Elsa's death was ruled a suicide. Stephen isn't convinced. We get into the strange circumstances surrounding her death, the conflicting accounts, the delayed call to police, the involvement of a powerful attorney, the location of the gun, the testimony of the household servants and the questions that still surround the case more than a century later. And, because this is The Brighter Side of Blue, we couldn't resist putting some retired cops in the room and asking the question: If this happened today, would you call it suicide?

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4.9
out of 5
55 Ratings

About

A podcast focusing of the great things law enforcement officers and agencies have done and continue to do on a daily basis.  Crime stories with interviews from those involved...victims, investigators, officers, informants, lawyers and more.

Information

  • Creator
    The Brighter Side of Blue
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    188
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Brighter Side of Blue
  • Show Website
    The Brighter Side of Blue Podcast

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