Continuing to Honor the Legacy of Law Enforcement
The National Law Enforcement Museum reopened its doors to the public on Aug. 27 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to shut down and go virtual last spring. Along with its long-awaited reopening, the museum is also playing host to its first major exhibition titled “Post-9/11: The Evolution of American Law Enforcement,” which is expected to remain at the museum through July 31, 2022.
The 2,000 square-foot exhibit in the DuPont Gallery of the National Law Enforcement Museum includes artifacts and images from the crash sites, including a steal beam from the World Trade Center, a concrete block from the Pentagon and fragments of Flight 93. Donations from the Police Unity Tour, Goodyear, Bio-One Inc., Thomson Reuters, 5.11 Inc. and philanthropists Adam R. Rose and Peter R. McQuillan helped make the exhibit possible.
“We are so grateful to open our doors again to the public and continue to share the important story of law enforcement in America, and to honor our fallen heroes,” Marcia Ferranto, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, said before the museum reopened.
Recently, the museum hosted a discussion focused on its reopening, what went into its new exhibit and how the museum honors the sacrifices of officers while also educating the public on the history of law enforcement.A focused mission
The museum first opened its doors back in 2018 with the mission of telling and honoring the story of American law enforcement. “Storytelling is what makes museums so magnificent,” says Ferranto. “When artifacts combined with expert research and the curiosity of countless visitors come together, it provides an opportunity for enlightenment, education and, at times, a life-changing event. Through the stories we tell, we honor our own past, our daily lives and our hopes for the future.”
Laura Lott, President and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums, says that having lived and worked in Washington, D.C., for more than 20 years, she’s been able to watch the National Law Enforcement Museum’s growth since its inception. “My favorite museums are those that most challenge and inspire me, those that really know and serve their communities, those that strive to engage new audiences, to educate children and people of all ages with unique experiences and those museums with dedicated teams who work tirelessly to tell stories from different perspectives,” she says. “The Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum is clearly one of those museums.”
During a time when negative news about law enforcement often dominates the headlines, Lott stressed that it’s the personal stories and positive experiences that the museum can bring to the public. “At their core, that’s what museums are about: telling stories so we never forget. Telling stories from multiple perspectives, to open our minds and deepen our understanding. Telling stories that often go untold in media and in schools. Telling stories that make us pause and be inspired by new thoughts, ideas and ways of looking at the world.”
She says that in a chaotic 24-hour news cycle where everyone is told to pick a side on every issue, museums can offer both a respite and an opportunity to slow down, reflect, process and imagine. “The events of 9/11 are often explained as a failure of imagination,” she says. “The memories are still painful for those of us who lived through it, still struggling to understand and cope with our feelings. For my 8-year-old daughter, 9/11 is in the history books. One day, museums will help her understand the significance, the lessons and the personal struggles and triumphs.”
Creating the exhibit
Thomas Canavan, Executive Director of the National Law Enforcement Museum, says that it was important to make the post 9/11 exhibit connect to both younger and older generations. “It provides us with the opportunity to reflect on the story of 9/11, the heroes who lost their lives and the process of creating the exhibition itself. This is a decisive moment for our institution.”
Museum Content Developer, Josh Feinberg from JAF Consulting, says that his team was tasked with making sure the exhibit met all of the desired goals. “The idea was two-fold,” he says. “One was to honor and memorialize those law enforcement officers who perished on 9/11 or as a result of 9/11 and the other piece was to explore how law enforcement has changed over the 20 years since 9/11 and because of 9/11. We’re trying to memorialize, but we’re also trying to teach. That was one challenge, or at least one unique aspect of this project, where we had to try to figure out how we can do both without them interfering with each other and how they sort of help each other.”Feinberg made the point that it’s not an exhibit about what occurred on 9/11, but instead what happened after. “The question was, how do we deal with 9/11 in a way that feels like we’re doing it justice, but yet then be able to pivot and really talk about other issues,” he says. “We really wanted to educate about law enforcement post 9/11 and we really wanted to remember the officers who died as a result of 9/11, but our goal was not to have an encyclopedic exhibition about 9/11.”
In order to educate younger audiences, while still maintaining that personal connection for older ones, context around the events and the artifacts on display was given. “It isn’t ancient history, but for young people, it is history. When you think about certain issues like privacy and surveillance, we thought that it was important to talk about the historical context in the context of 9/11 and how those issues have developed over the past 20 years to get where we are today.”The interactive aspect of the exhibit also was important. Feinberg stressed his team needed to strike a balance between to the use of media and artifacts, while staying focused on the exhibit’s main goals. “Part of what you want in a museum is something you can’t do at home. You want something that is authentic, you want something that is unique, that is special. That’s why so many people go see the Mona Lisa or other famous objects, because you can’t have the same experience at home. I think in this exhibition, we tried to incorporate artifacts and objects as well as media and technology and I think that—especially around 9/11—it was important that we had some material objects from the event itself, because it really connects you in a personal way,” he says.
“Media can connect you in a different way, but to be able to stand in the presence of a beam from the World Trade Center or jacket that was worn by a police officer at Ground Zero connects you in a different way that you can’t replicate anywhere else.”
The National Law Enforcement Museum is located at 444 E Street, NW in Washington, DC. For information about museum, visit: https://lawenforcementmuseum.org
Recently Fallen Heroes
Here are just some of the brave officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the month of September 2021:
Sergeant Brian Mohl
Connecticut State Police
End of Watch: Sept. 2, 2021
Sergeant Brian Mohl died after his patrol car was swept into the Weekeepeemee River as he was checking water levels in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
Investigator Dusty Wainscott
Grayson County (TX) Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: Sept. 8, 2021
Investigator Dusty Wainscott collapsed and died after chasing and getting into a physical altercation with two suspects who fled on foot during a traffic stop.
Officer Blaize Madrid-Evans
Independence (MO) Police Department
End of Watch: Sept. 15, 2021
Officer Blaize Madrid-Evans was fatally shot after he responded with other officers to a residence and encounter a wanted subject who opened fire.
Lieutenant John Stewart
Lake City (SC) Police Department
End of Watch: Sept. 17, 2021
Lieutenant John Stewart was killed during a vehicle pursuit with a suspect who was taken into custody following another pursuit involving members of the Florence County Sheriff's Office.
Officer William Jeffrey
Houston Police Department
End of Watch: Sept. 20, 2021
Senior Police Officer Bill Jeffrey was shot and killed while serving a warrant when a wanted man emerged and opened fire without warning, striking him and another officer.
Deputy Sheriff Luke Gross
Hancock County (ME) Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: Sept. 23, 2021
Deputy Sheriff Luke Gross was wearing a high visibility traffic vest was picking up debris from the road after a crash when he was struck from behind by a small pickup truck.
Paul Peluso | Editor
Paul Peluso is the Managing Editor of OFFICER Magazine and has been with the Officer Media Group since 2006. He began as an Associate Editor, writing and editing content for Officer.com. Previously, Paul worked as a reporter for several newspapers in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD.