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The National Law Enforcement Museum

he National Law Enforcement Museum opened its doors to While the
the public in October of 2018, creating for the first time a Museum’s mis-
Tplace to share and showcase the story and history of American sion resonates
law enforcement. Authorized by President Bill Clinton on November with members
9, 2000, it took years of a public review process before construction of the law
of the 55,000 square feet Museum broke ground just steps from the enforcement
National Mall and across E Street from the National Law community
Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. and their fami-
The Museum’s collection of more than 20,000 lies, and those
objects includes a wide range of materials, from photo- with an interest
graphs, letters, and handwritten blotters in its subject
to uniforms, handcuffs, and radios, matter, the
that tell the story of American law Museum has
enforcement – past, present, and been struggling to
future. attract visitors since
The collection includes items it opened. According This clock is part of the J. Edgar Hoover
from the everyday life of a law to a 2019 Bloomberg Collection, a large group of objects donated by
enforcement officer as well as report, the Museum opened the J. Edgar Hoover Foundation which features
Come-along, 1874 – objects showcasing historic its doors on the edge of thousands of items from the personal life of the
This one-handed figures like J. Edgar Hoover default with a $103 million FBI’s founding director.
restraint, a pre-cursor and objects from important bond borrowed in 2016. Then, ticket sales—expected at 300,000
to handcuffs, was used events including the visitors in the first year—fell significantly short in the Museum’s first
by wrapping the chain Lindbergh kidnapping trial, three months. Just as the Museum was finding its footing, however,
around a suspect’s the September 11th attacks, it, like all museums and the rest of the country, was forced to close its
wrist and holding the
two bars between the and the 2002 DC Sniper shootings. The doors in March of 2020 due to COVID.
officer’s fingers. Museum’s goal is to preserve these objects and Reopening on August 27, 2021, the National Law Enforcement
their stories and use carefully curated exhibitions and pro- Museum has plans to introduce a few new offerings to attract visitors,
grams to showcase the experiences of law enforcement professionals. including its first major exhibit, Post 9/11: The Evolution of American
Educational interactive exhibits, a Law Enforcement, inspired by the 20th
hit with visitors, delve into everything anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It
from the meticulous and messy world remains committed to telling the story
of forensics and DNA analysis to how of American law enforcement and
law enforcement is portrayed in pop preserving the objects and the voices of
culture. An Officers’ Stories exhibit those that tell its story.
gives visitors a first-hand account of Located at 444 E Street, NW,
what it is like to be a police officer, and Washington, D.C., the Museum is open
an officer Training Simulator provides to the public Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-
the experience of what it is like to make 5 p.m., and available for private group
slit-second, life-altering decisions. The tours Tuesday-Thursday.
Witness to History program provides a The National Police Gazette, Saturday, April 21, 1883 The Museum is closed on Mondays.
first-hand account of significant, history- For additional information visit
making events from those who were www.LawEnforcementMuseum.org.
there, while Leaders in Law
Enforcement take visitors
behind the badge with first-
hand narratives from distin-
guished and notable law
enforcement professionals.
The Hall of Remembrance pro-
vides a reflective space in the
Museum where visitors can leave a
tribute to a fallen officer.
Acts and Laws of His Majesty’s Province of
the Massachusetts-Bay in New-England, 1759.
This law book, one of the oldest objects in the
Museum’s collection, includes many of the
English-derived laws that governed early American
policing, including law enforcement institutions like Reel to Real, an exhibit that shows the portrayal of law enforcement in pop
sheriffs and constables. culture, with toys, props, and memorabilia from iconic cop shows and movies.

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