Undercover in Old Time Radio

One of the most popular tropes from cop movies and police procedural TV Shows explores the perils of the Undercover Operative. A cop working undercover faces many unique and dangerous challenges, both of the physical as well as moral and legalistic ones.

Undercover work certainly runs contrary to the expected operations of a legitimate Police Force in a Democratic Society. Cops have to follow the rules (even if the Bad Guys get to ignore them) and working Undercover seems to skirt, even ignore those rules. While attempting to infiltrate a Criminal Organization, a straight-laced Cop might have to break the Law in order to enforce it.

Although Undercover Operations are a popular part of Police Fiction, Undercover Cops have been around nearly as long as there have been Uniformed Cops. Sir Robert Peel formed the Metropolitan Police of London ("Scotland Yard") in 1829, and from the beginning, the Yard made occasional use of Plain Clothed Detective Officers. The public raised an outcry against the use of Plainclothes men, fearing they would be employed in Political Suppression.

The New York City Police Department formed the Italian Squad in 1906 to combat Organized Criminals and Intimidation Rackets in the city's poorer Immigrant neighborhoods. The success of the Italian Squad inspired Charles Joseph Bonaparte, Attorney General under Teddy Roosevelt, to form the Bureau of Investigation, a forerunner of the modern FBI.

There are some obvious risks involved in Under Cover Operations, all of which can be played for effect in the fictional setting. The most obvious is that the officer, by working in disguise closely in a criminal organization is putting his head in the lion's mouth. To have his identity discovered by the bad guys will swiftly result in a dead cop.

A subtler danger to the operator is that he may be forced to engage in illegal activities as a means of maintaining his cover. A certain degree of prosecutorial immunity may be granted to the officer who is "just doing his job" of investigating the Bad Guys, but Cops are trained to stop crooks, not to become an outlaw. The actions necessary to maintain cover often present legal and moral quandaries.

It is important to distinguish between Undercover Work and Plainclothesmen or Detectives. Although the Police Uniform is a symbol of authority, often a senior officer will be more effective in his duties while wearing civilian attire. These detectives make no secret that they are acting for and with the full support of their Departments, whereas the Undercover Man can only depend upon his wits and experience.

As popular as Undercover Cops were in TV and Movies of the Sixties and early Seventies, they appeared on the Radio in the early Thirties. The popular West Coast Procedural Drama Calling All Cars focused on Uniformed Patrol Officers but frequently looked at Undercover Operatives. The Cold War drama, I Was a Communist for the FBI has its main character, Matt Cvetic constantly infiltrating the Nation's hidden enemies undercover at great danger. Plainclothes Detective Sergeant Joe Friday of Jack Webb's Dragnet showed the need for Departmental support on many Undercover operations.

• Calling All Cars, March 5, 1935, "Undercover Woman". Agent Madge Travers got hooked on Morphine when she was in the hospital but managed to beat the habit. There are reports that a pair of Chileans are in town to unload a stash of dope and Agent Madge Travers is ready to bring them down, but the waters she is swimming in are about to get very hot. The Dope Peddlers have long and vengeful memories. CAUTION: This episode contains Racist Portrayals. 
• Suspense, November 23, 1943, "The Strange Death of Charles Umberstein".  The great Vincent Price plays an Allied Spy working in Berlin who has risen to a responsible position in a Nazi munitions factory. His cover is perfect, but he can feel the pincers of the Gestapo about to close. Where has he gone wrong? Perhaps, his cover is not as perfect as he believes.
• This is Your FBI, August 17, 1951, "The Bogus Hijacking". Working Undercover means that Agents may face uncomfortable conditions while facing down our common enemy, the American Criminal.
• Dragnet, October 27, 1951, "The Big Fraud". A gang of grifters is running a 'sweet scam'. The 'Mark' is spotted coming in on the morning train, one of them gets friendly with the Mark and puts him in a compromising position, then the rest of the gang swoops in disguised as cops. Naturally, Sergeant Joe Friday goes undercover to bring down the conmen.

See also: Espionage, Spies, and Secrets Agents of Old Time Radio Collection.  For more spies and undercover types, you can also see The Silent Men, Spy Catcher, Cloak and Dagger, Counterspy - David Harding!, Dangerous Assignment, The Adventures of Frank Race, Top Secret, Harry Lime (The Third Man),Secret Agent K7 Returns, and I Was a Communist for the FBI.