Flashback: Hear historic recordings of police radio show, 'Could This Be You?'

SEATTLE METROPOLITAN POLICE MUSEUM -- Decades ago, a massively popular police radio show called 'Could This Be You?' had people tuning in all over Washington state. It had a trooper mic'd up while he hit the roads to bust bad drivers. Officer Jim Ritter with the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum has more in a new Washington`s Most Wanted segment on the history of law enforcement called ‘Flashback.' "I've been a police historian for 35 years,” says Ofc. Ritter. “And, I'll tell you one of the most dynamic things I've ever seen are these recordings we discovered several months ago from the Washington State Patrol involving a radio program called, 'Could This Be You?'”

“The program was sponsored by the Washington State Patrol in collaboration with KVI radio and played for over 3 million people along the West Coast.” “The dynamics of this were unique, in that a state patrol trooper was wired with a microphone. He would go about his duties and make traffic stops, and while wired, interviewed citizens, engaged in pursuits, traffic stops and other criminal activity.” “The concept was so unique that it was a predecessor to shows like ‘Higway Patrol’ and ‘Car 54, Where Are You?’ from the 1950's.” “The syndicated show was a 9 year program that was one of the most popular KVI ever manufactured, and it did a lot to reduce traffic deaths around the state's highways.” “The concept of recording citizens on traffic stops is no different in 2014 as it was in 1946. I find these things fascinating and it's very interesting to see how technology has changed over the years. However, we're still trying to achieve the same common goal which is to keep people safe out there." If you have questions about law enforcement history, email Ofc. Ritter at smpmuseum@aol.com To find out more about the museum, go to seametropolicemuseum.org