170 Years in Blue… The Lauer Family’s St. Louis Police Legacy

In our featured interview, we sit down with retired SLMPD Lt. Col. Ray Lauer and his sons, retired Lt. Mike Lauer and retired Lt. Paul Lauer, to talk about one of the most remarkable law-enforcement legacies in St. Louis history. With roughly 170 years of combined service in one immediate family, the Lauer name represents generations of dedication to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Ray, Mike, and Paul share stories from their careers, the legendary training officers who shaped them, and the unique experience of carrying on a family legacy in policing. From academy days and major cases to traffic-fatality investigations, leadership roles, and the prestigious FBI National Academy, the conversation spans decades of policing in St. Louis and what it means when the next generation continues the tradition.

But before we get to the Lauer interview, the show opens the way it usually does with Danny, Tommy, JJ and Producer John trading stories and banter from around the job. The crew talks about night shift life, memorable police hiring interviews (including a recruit who showed up for his interview in a tank top and chewing tobacco), and the incredible story of Japanese Lt. Hiroo Onoda, the WWII soldier who spent 29 years in the jungle believing the war was still going on. As always, the opening conversation mixes humor, history, and the kind of cop-shop storytelling listeners have come to expect before the main interview begins.

If you want to jump straight to the Lauer interview, check the timestamp in the description below.

The Brighter Side of Blue—St. Louis stories from the men and women who wear the badge, recorded at Colombo’s Café in Dogtown. Full interview is on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. If you dig it, please like, comment, and share so more St. Louis folks see it.

#TheBrighterSideOfBlue #PolicePodcast #LawEnforcement #TrueCrime #BehindTheBadge #PoliceStories #StLouisPolice #SLMPD