New York City Police Museum
Encyclopedia
The New York City Police Museum (NYCPM) celebrates the history and contributions of the New York City Police Department
since its establishment in 1845. The museum is located in Lower Manhattan
in New York City
, near Wall Street
and the South Street Seaport
. While one of the museum's primary focuses is a memorial to September 11th
, the museum contains a wide range of information on the history of the NYPD. The museum, which grew from a gallery housed at the police academy
, opened at 26 Broadway
at Bowling Green
in January 2000 and re-opened in a new location at 100 Old Slip, former home of the First Precinct, in January 2002.
It also allows visitors to simulate a police firefight, and judges whether or not the shooting was correct, allowing civilians to have some understanding of situations that police face and provide them with a better understanding of the work of police officers than that provided by the media. Its exhibits are not without controversy, and city historians have accused the museum of omitting coverage of more controversial aspects of NYPD history.
Howard Safir
and the Alliance for Downtown New York (the local Business improvement district
) made $5 million available for the museum in return for a new police substation in Lower Manhattan
. Funding for the museum was criticized and classified by some as the buying of police protection for a given area at the expense of another that could not afford to broker a similar deal. As a result, Mayor
Rudolph Giuliani
cancelled the funding for the museum two days later. In March of the same year, the New York City Police Museum non-profit corporation was created, and in April 1999, the museum opened, although the official unveiling was not held until January 19, 2000.
The new museum replaced a small gallery that had been housed in the Police Academy on East 20th Street. Among the exhibits brought to the new museum are: a display of the evolution of police uniforms since their inception in 1853, a gun used by Al Capone
's gang in the 1928 murder of Frankie Yale
, the first machine gun used in a gangland killing
in New York, and a gift from Italy
to the City of New York following the assassination of Lt. Joseph Petrosino in Sicily
in 1909, the only member of NYPD to be killed in the line of duty on foreign soil. Other exhibits include a green and white radio car, antique firearm
s and a wooden desk from the 46th Precinct in Morris Heights
, The Bronx
.
. The new premises, appropriately, were the landmarked First Precinct Building, designed by the partnership of Richard Howland Hunt
and Joseph Howland Hunt and built in 1909-11. The landmarked building was a model precinct house in its time. From 1884 to 1973 this Florentine Renaissance palazzo with its bold rusticated
facades was the home of the First Precinct, which one historian called "the most important police precinct in the world." That precinct closed due to a corruption scandal in 1977, and museum officials saw a move to this location as an opportunity to connect with the Department's history. Construction and renovation of the new space cost more than $4 million and exhibition space grew by nearly 45%
Its new exhibits included a 1972 Plymouth Fury
, a model of a jail cell, a timeline of transportation, lock-picking tools belonging to Willie Sutton
, an extensive exhibit on September 11 that occupies the museum's third floor, and a Hall of Heroes
that includes the name and badge of every NYPD officer killed in the line of duty, starting with David Martin on August 6, 1861. Although the new museum was significantly larger, it is still not comprehensive, its omissions of controversial incidents receiving the same criticism it did at its previous location. The exhibit that the museum assembled for the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks allowed visitors to gain an immediate impression of the physical damage caused by the attacks and the debris that fell around Ground Zero
.
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
since its establishment in 1845. The museum is located in Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, near Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
and the South Street Seaport
South Street Seaport
The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District. The Seaport is a designated historic district, distinct from the neighboring Financial District...
. While one of the museum's primary focuses is a memorial to September 11th
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, the museum contains a wide range of information on the history of the NYPD. The museum, which grew from a gallery housed at the police academy
Police academy
A police academy is a training school for new police recruits, also known as a law enforcement academy.-Australia:Larger police departments usually run their own academies. States often run a centralised academy for training of personnel of law enforcement agencies within the state.Police...
, opened at 26 Broadway
26 Broadway
26 Broadway is a 31-story, 159 m, 520 ft New York City Designated Landmark at the southern tip of Manhattan at Bowling Green...
at Bowling Green
Bowling Green (New York City)
Bowling Green is a small public park in Lower Manhattan at the foot of Broadway next to the site of the original Dutch fort of New Amsterdam. Built in 1733, originally including a bowling green, it is the oldest public park in New York City and is surrounded by its original 18th century fence. At...
in January 2000 and re-opened in a new location at 100 Old Slip, former home of the First Precinct, in January 2002.
It also allows visitors to simulate a police firefight, and judges whether or not the shooting was correct, allowing civilians to have some understanding of situations that police face and provide them with a better understanding of the work of police officers than that provided by the media. Its exhibits are not without controversy, and city historians have accused the museum of omitting coverage of more controversial aspects of NYPD history.
History
On February 16, 1998, plans for a police museum were unveiled when then-Police CommissionerPolice commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
Howard Safir
Howard Safir
Howard Safir was New York City Fire Commissioner from 1994 to 1996 and New York City Police Commissioner from 1996 to 2000.Safir was appointed New York City's 29th Fire Commissioner of the City of New York by Mayor Rudolph W...
and the Alliance for Downtown New York (the local Business improvement district
Business improvement district
A business improvement district is a defined area within which businesses pay an additional tax or fee in order to fund improvements within the district's boundaries. Grant funds acquired by the city for special programs and/or incentives such as tax abatements can be made available to assist...
) made $5 million available for the museum in return for a new police substation in Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
. Funding for the museum was criticized and classified by some as the buying of police protection for a given area at the expense of another that could not afford to broker a similar deal. As a result, Mayor
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
Rudolph Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
cancelled the funding for the museum two days later. In March of the same year, the New York City Police Museum non-profit corporation was created, and in April 1999, the museum opened, although the official unveiling was not held until January 19, 2000.
Broadway location
As of its January 2000 opening, the museum was privately run with support from the City, including more than ten years of free rent and staffing by police officers. Private donors provided more than $2 million for the construction of the museum, while the City contributed $1 million. The museum has been criticized by some who believe it glosses over some of the low moments of the department in its quest to show the good work of the Department.The new museum replaced a small gallery that had been housed in the Police Academy on East 20th Street. Among the exhibits brought to the new museum are: a display of the evolution of police uniforms since their inception in 1853, a gun used by Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
's gang in the 1928 murder of Frankie Yale
Frankie Yale
Francesco Ioele , better known as Frankie Uale or Frankie Yale, was a Brooklyn gangster and original employer of Al Capone before the latter moved to Chicago...
, the first machine gun used in a gangland killing
Gangland killing
A gangland killing is a murder carried out by organized criminals. According to FBI Uniform Crime Reports, there were 425 gangland killings from 2000 to 2004, 0.6% of all murders committed in the United States during that time...
in New York, and a gift from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to the City of New York following the assassination of Lt. Joseph Petrosino in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
in 1909, the only member of NYPD to be killed in the line of duty on foreign soil. Other exhibits include a green and white radio car, antique firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s and a wooden desk from the 46th Precinct in Morris Heights
Morris Heights, Bronx
Morris Heights is a low income residential neighborhood located in the west Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 5. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: West Burnside Avenue to the north, Jerome Avenue to the east, the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the...
, The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
.
Old Slip location
In January 2002, the museum re-opened in a new location on Old Slip, closer to South Street SeaportSouth Street Seaport
The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District. The Seaport is a designated historic district, distinct from the neighboring Financial District...
. The new premises, appropriately, were the landmarked First Precinct Building, designed by the partnership of Richard Howland Hunt
Richard Howland Hunt
Richard Howland Hunt was an American architect and member of the notable Hunt family of Vermont, who worked in partnership with his brother Joseph Howland Hunt in New York City, as Hunt & Hunt. The brothers were sons of the first American Beaux-Arts architect, Richard Morris Hunt...
and Joseph Howland Hunt and built in 1909-11. The landmarked building was a model precinct house in its time. From 1884 to 1973 this Florentine Renaissance palazzo with its bold rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
facades was the home of the First Precinct, which one historian called "the most important police precinct in the world." That precinct closed due to a corruption scandal in 1977, and museum officials saw a move to this location as an opportunity to connect with the Department's history. Construction and renovation of the new space cost more than $4 million and exhibition space grew by nearly 45%
Its new exhibits included a 1972 Plymouth Fury
Plymouth Fury
The Plymouth Fury is an automobile which was produced by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1956 to 1978. The Fury was introduced as a premium-priced model designed to showcase the line, with the intent to draw consumers into showrooms....
, a model of a jail cell, a timeline of transportation, lock-picking tools belonging to Willie Sutton
Willie Sutton
William "Willie" Sutton was a prolific U.S. bank robber. During his forty-year criminal career he stole an estimated $2 million, and eventually spent more than half of his adult life in prison...
, an extensive exhibit on September 11 that occupies the museum's third floor, and a Hall of Heroes
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
that includes the name and badge of every NYPD officer killed in the line of duty, starting with David Martin on August 6, 1861. Although the new museum was significantly larger, it is still not comprehensive, its omissions of controversial incidents receiving the same criticism it did at its previous location. The exhibit that the museum assembled for the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks allowed visitors to gain an immediate impression of the physical damage caused by the attacks and the debris that fell around Ground Zero
World Trade Center site
The World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
.
See also
- List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City
- New York City Police DepartmentNew York City Police DepartmentThe New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...