The Metropolitan Toronto Police Museum and Discovery center provides an excellent introduction to the 160 years of policing in Toronto. Lear about the history of the Police, examine their uniforms and equipment, or look at the modem services which the police provided to the community. The investigation section explores the established methods of investigating crime as well as some of the latest technology used by the Police. Exhibits of criminal evidence relate the stories of several high profile criminal cases from ‘Toronto’s pa The museum features many and son displays such as quizzes and interactive videos, a laser scanner for examining fingerprints and a composite photo game for identifying criminals. The museum is user friendly and provides the opportunity for its younger visitors to ‘ride’ a police motorcycle, sit in a cruiser, or pretend to lock themselves up in an old fashioned jail cell. Historical Background: The first police museum in Toronto was established in the early part of the century and consisted of a collection of weapons and criminal evidence, some of which still make up part of today’s modem collection, This “criminal museum’ was used exclusively for ‘the training of new police office is and was not open to the public. Serious collecting and be serving of evidence began 1946, inspired by the collections of Scotland Yard’s Black Museum. In 1960, a museum was found for the use of both police personnel and the public. As interest grew, the museum expanded and moved from its first location in a cramped hallway to progressively larger spaces. Finally, with the construction of a new Police Headquarters building in 1988, a specific area was set aside to allow for the construction of an expanded and updated facility. The new Museum and Discovery Center, funded entirely by private and core donations, reopened in the fall of 1993 in the lobby of pone headquarters at 40 Col e Street. ¢ Metropolitan Toronto Po lice Museum and Discovery Center is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., seven days a week, year round. The Museum is fully wheelchair accessible and admission is free. There is also a gift shop. All records from the Gift Shop fit the Museum, which is a nonprofit, charitable organization. . Please book visits by calling Community Policing Support Unit, at (416) 8087050. For more info, please call the Museum at (416) 8087020. “It’s The Law Discover it!”
Article extracted from this publication >> September 4, 1996
