Saturday, May 18, 2013

Crime Museums: International Museum Day

I'm all about holidays, and since today is International Museum Day, I thought I'd make a list of Crime-related Museums. I posted a list in 2011, so this is update! This is not a definitive list by any means. Feel free to add your favorites or comment on Museums you've visited.

Crime Museum: Washington D.C.
This museum includes a crime lab, the filming studios for America's Most Wanted,  a simulated shooting range, a high-speed police-chase, and hundreds of interactive exhibits and artifacts pertaining to America's favorite subject.

The Mob Museum, Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement — aka The Mob Museum — is an interactive museum dedicated to the history of organized crime and law enforcement. Focuses on organized crime's impact on Las Vegas history and its unique imprint on America and the world.

The Black Museum, London, England: The Black Museum of Scotland Yard is a collection of criminal memorabilia kept at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police in London, England. Started in 1874, although unofficially, by 1875, it had become an official museum of the force, with a police inspector and a police constable assigned to duty there.

American Police Hall of Fame & Museum: Titusville, FL. The American Police Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1960. It is the nation's first national police museum and memorial dedicated to law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

New York City Police Museum

National Law Enforcement Museum. Washington, D.C.

Other Police Museums:
Cleveland Police Museum
Phoenix Police Museum
Houston Police Museum
Portland Police Museum
New Jersey State Police Museum & Learning Center
Security Forces Museum (San Antonio, TX)
Los Angeles Police Historical Society Museum & Community Education Center
Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum
International Police Museum of Southern California
Norfolk Police & Fire Rescue Museum
Police Heritage Museum, York, PA
Silver State National Peace Officers Museum, NV
National Police Museum. Delhi, India.
National Police Museum, Finland.
New Zealand Police Museum.

SPIES

International Spy Museum, Washington, D.C. The only public museum in the United States solely dedicated to espionage and the only one in the world to provide a global perspective on a profession that has shaped history and continues to have a significant impact on world events. The Museum features the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever placed on public display. Current special exhibit: Exquisitely Evil: 50 Years of Bond Villains.

Bletchley Park: Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, England. Home of the Codebreakers, Enigma Machines, history and more. Surely you've seen Bletchley Circle? Visited the Churchill War Rooms? Check out the website, too, and there's also a virtual tour on the Internet.

Spy Museum. Vakoilumuseo. Tampere, Finland.

Special Exhibit: May 4-October 6, 2013: Spy, The Secret World of Espionage, Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA. Featuring over 200 historical artifacts and the stories they have to tell—including a collapsible motorbike, a two-man submersible, and a CIA robotic catfish—combined with firsthand spy experiences like personal disguises, voice alteration and navigating through a field of laser beams—find out what it's truly like to be a spy!

James Bond Museum: Momence, IL

The James Bond Exhibit at the Dezer Collection. Miami, FL

Any favorite crime museum I've forgotten? Make a comment? Any Museum Mysteries you'll be reading today?

2 comments:

Priscilla said...

Wow! Many thanks for this. With a mystery conference in Portland OR (in 2015?), let's hope there will be a scheduled visit to the police museum!

Janet Rudolph said...

The Black Museum at Scotland Yard is no longer open to the public. The British Police Museum in London is open--and you can call for an appointment for a private or group tour. Small but packed with London Crime History (Old City--near the Museum of the City of London.
Toby and Bill