National Law Enforcement Museum


The National Law Enforcement Museum is a mostly-underground facility located adjacent to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC's Judiciary Square. The museum covers American law enforcement through interactive exhibits, historical and contemporary artifact collections, with a dedicated space for research and educational programming. It officially opened on October 13, 2018.

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.
On October 14, 2010, Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and others broke ground on the construction of the museum. As of October 2012, over $58 million in private donations have been raised.
On February 28, 2014, Rep. Steny Hoyer introduced the bill To amend the National Law Enforcement Museum Act to extend the termination date into the United States House of Representatives. The bill would extend until November 9, 2016, the authority of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a nonprofit organization, to construct a museum on federal lands within the District of Columbia honoring law enforcement officers.

Purpose

The Memorial and Museum are both projects of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a non-profit, 501 organization based in Washington, D.C. The Memorial Fund maintains the Memorial, collects and analyzes information about officer fatalities and publishes research bulletins on fatality trends. As officer fatalities on roadways have increased in recent years, the NLEOMF launched the "Drive Safely" campaign to decrease law enforcement fatalities on the road.

Design

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. The design of the permanent galleries was first undertaken by Christopher Chadbourne & Associates of Boston. When that firm closed, the design effort was completed by Studio 647 of Washington D.C. and One By Design of Gloucester, MA. Media elements were produced by Richard Lewis Media Group and Donna Lawrence Productions. The exhibits were built and installed by Design and Production Incorporated of Lorton, VA.
The building is located below ground with two entrance pavilions with of interior space. The excavation for the building is below the surface. Exhibits and highlights include: