- National Law Enforcement Museum
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The National Law Enforcement Museum is a museum located in Washington, D.C., specializing in the law enforcement profession. The museum is adjacent to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
Contents
History
In 2000, the United States Congress authorized the establishment of the National Law Enforcement Museum, to tell the story of law enforcement in the United States. Stories of the fallen will be featured in the Museum's "Hall of Remembrance." The bill, signed into law by President Bill Clinton on November 9, 2000, authorized the planning for the museum. The public review process to authorize construction at the site took five years.[1]
On October 14, 2010, Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and others broke ground on the construction of the museum.[1] As of its ground-breaking, over $41 million in private donations have been raised.[1]
Purpose
The Memorial and Museum are both projects of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, D.C. The Memorial Fund collects and analyzes information about officer fatalities and publishes mid-year and end-of-year research bulletins on fatality trends. As officer fatalities on roadways have increased in recent years, the NLEOMF launched the "Drive Safely" [2] campaign to decrease law enforcement fatalities on the road.
Design
Scheduled to open in 2013, the Museum will cost an estimated $80 million to build. As with the Memorial, the Museum is being created through the generous donations of individuals, law enforcement organizations, corporations and foundations. Groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for late 2010. The architect for the museum is Davis Buckley Architects and Planners, the firm that also designed the Memorial. Plans for the museum's exhibitions include permanent galleries and one changing exhibitions gallery, all designed by Christopher Chadbourne & Associates of Boston.
The building will be located below ground with two entrance pavillons with 55,000 square feet (5,100 m2) of interior space. The excavation for the building will go down 40 feet (12 m) below the surface. Exhibits are expected to include:
- The U.S. Park Police helicopter that responded to the Air Florida Flight 90 crash into the Potomac River
- A costume from the 1987 film RoboCop
- A seat shirt worn by character Jack Bauer in the TV series 24
- Artifacts of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Trescott, Jaqueline (October 15, 2010). "Law enforcement museum is on track". Washington Post: p. C5.
- ^ Drive Safely Website
External links
- National Law Enforcement Museum official website
- National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund official website
Categories:- National museums of the United States
- Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C.
- Law enforcement museums in the United States
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