Skip to main content

You make this possible. Support our independent, nonprofit newsroom today.

Give Now

Seattle used to be vice, cops and corruption. Rick Anderson was there to cover it

caption: Rick Anderson's 2010 book
Enlarge Icon
Rick Anderson's 2010 book

The late Seattle crime reporter Rick Anderson...

If you're new to the area you might not know about Seattle's once dark underbelly. But for decades, that was Seattle reporter Rick Anderson's bread and butter. Crime, cops and corruption were his specialty.

In January, Anderson died at age 77.

In 2011, Ross Reynolds interviewed him about his many years covering the seedier side of the city -- including the closure of the Peep Show and the Lusty Lady and the death of Frank Colacurcio, who ran the clubs.

At the time, Anderson had just published a book about his experiences on the seamy side. It's called "Seattle Vice." The two journalists met at a dive bar downtown, called the Nitelite, which has a deep connection to Seattle Vice.

Why you can trust KUOW