The Minneapolis Police Museum is a 501(c)3 organization (EIN 31-1597043).
We receive no financial or organizational support from the Minneapolis Police Department. We receive no tax-payer or other funding from the City of Minneapolis. All of our funding comes from charitable and private donations.
The Minneapolis Police Museum was housed in the Third Precinct at 3000 Minnehaha Avenue South in South Minneapolis. It was located not in an area open to the public as we would wish it to be but in a precinct conference room which is closed to the public.
Our artifacts are currently cared for to the best of our ability and within our limited resources but not to professional standards and sustainable best practices.
In addition to the artifacts, papers, photographs and glass slides we have in our precincts, we have papers and photographs stored in regular cardboard boxes and on open shelves in the Law Library and the Clock Tower at City Hall.
Our goal for our museum is to design and implement permanent and temporary exhibits to celebrate our heritage and highlight topical themes which will be of great meaning to the community. No other organization is telling our story and we know that no one can better foster empathy towards, interest in, and understanding of our profession than we can.
We are fortunate to have the mentorship the Hennepin County Library as we embark on this exciting journey to establish an archive for our documents and photographs. We are enthusiastic about our work and are grateful to them for their advice as we begin our effort to create a physical museum space which will be open and fully accessible to the public.
If you would like to learn more about our journey and how you can help, we would love to talk with you. Please reach out to us at: info@mplspolicemuseum.org
Photograph above courtesy of the Hennepin County Library. L to R (seated): Gladys Cooke, Carrie Bystrom, Mary Stolze, and Blanche Jones. L to R (standing): Edith Evans and Elsie Mueller. One policewoman, Minnie Staples, was not present when the photo was taken in 1938.