ABOUT US

The Police Museum was established in 1929, but the roots of the police museum can be traced as far back as the 1880's when Inspector Byrnes who was the first Chief of Detectives, started a Museum of Crime at then police headquarters at 300 Mulberry Street.

At the time of the construction of the Police Headquarters at 240 Centre Street in 1909, an area was set aside for museum displays.

The museum as we know it today was created in 1929 when the Recruit Training School was relocated to what was to become the Police Headquarters Annex at 400 Broome Street. The academy was then known as the "Police College". An entire floor of the college was dedicated as a museum, although still focusing on criminal methods and crime. The museum became a sub unit of the Police Academy, moving when the academy moved. With the completion of the current academy building at 235 E. 20 Street, the museum was located on the second floor where it would remain for almost 35 years.

The Police Museum started to focus more on the history of the department and policing in New York with the appointment of its first curator, Detective Alfred Young. Det Young supplemented the displays of the museum with his own, extensive collection of police memorabilia. Det. Young is also credited with designing the current Medal of Honor, which was given out for the first time on October 23, 1973.

In 1998 the museum was officially chartered and in early 1999 the museum had moved from the Police Academy to its own space at 25 Broadway. By March 2002, the museum opened at its permanent home at 100 Old Slip, the site of the old First Precinct stationhouse, a building that itself reflects the rich history of the NYPD.