The National Law Enforcement Museum at the Motorola Solutions Foundation Building in Washington, D.C. – the nation’s only museum that explores nearly every facet of American law enforcement – will hold a grand opening ceremony on Thursday, October 11, and will open its doors to the public on Saturday, October 13, including a community celebration hosted by the Museum. Details for the grand opening and community celebration will be announced in summer, 2018.

The National Law Enforcement Museum is located in Judiciary Square across from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and tells the story of American law enforcement by providing visitors with a “walk in the shoes” experience. It is dedicated to expanding and enriching the relationship shared by law enforcement and the community through educational journeys, immersive exhibitions and insightful programs and community partnerships.

The Museum’s collection includes more than 21,000 artifacts from every era of American law enforcement and will showcase a number of immersive, interactive exhibits designed to tell the real-life stories of officers and the citizens they serve, allowing visitors to experience the real-life world of law enforcement. These exhibits include Take the Case which invites visitors to use actual law enforcement techniques to help solve simulated criminal cases and 911 Emergency Ops where visitors hear scripted incoming 911 calls and dispatch first responders to intercede.

Similarly, an exhibition called To Serve and Protect describes a specific event from the perspectives of law enforcement officers, victims, and bystanders. Real-life events, such as the law enforcement response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, help tell the stories of officers who relied on training, instinct, and courage to protect citizens. This exhibit also includes the Web of Law Enforcement, a large multi-touch screen interactive experience which illustrates how the complex web of some 18,000 agencies work together to solve crimes.

“Over the last decade, the National Law Enforcement Museum has worked with dozens of law enforcement experts, historians, academics and community leaders to develop the core of the Museum’s exhibitions and programming to ensure an accurate, unbiased portrayal of American law enforcement,” said David L. Brant, Museum executive director. “We have built a Museum that encourages everyone to learn about, share and even debate every facet of the profession. This Museum is not just about the men and women of law enforcement, but about the citizens and communities they serve as well.”

To convey its mission to advance and strengthen community relations, the National Law Enforcement Museum has announced a partnership with the Illumination Project to develop programming and events to foster a stronger relationship between law enforcement and communities across the nation with the common goal to promote safer communities. Originated in Charleston, South Carolina, the Illumination Project began as a heartfelt response to the shocking murders that occurred at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston in the summer of 2015. This horrible act created a desire within the Charleston (SC) Police Department to “illuminate,” or shine a light on, the corners of the community needing improved relationships between citizens and police.

“We at The Illumination Project are delighted with this unique opportunity to partner with the National Law Enforcement Museum to build safer and healthier communities,” said Illumination Project President Robert “Jake” Jacobs. “This partnership allows us to build on our work in Charleston, while supporting the Museum’s mission to expand and enrich law enforcement and citizen relationships.

Today, the Illumination Project, comprised of law enforcement and community leaders, work to create healthy communities through all interested and affected people, groups and organizations partnering together in ways that illuminate current realities and achieve preferred futures.

“We are honored to partner with the Illumination Project and hope this community partnership will be one of many that our Museum will engage in to address difficult law enforcement issues with the common goal of safer, more peaceful communities,” Brant said.