Our mission statement is to collect and p reserve artifacts of law enforcement in Spokane and other local agencies, provide historical education for schools, and public as a learning experience and a library of records of police growth in the community; and, finally, to build trust with public and law enforcement" We are in the process of writing the history of the Spokane Police Department with a series of volumes. The first volume "LIFE BEHIND THE BADGE - Spokane Police Department'S Founding Years 1881-1903" is out in our book stores or available through our museum now. The second volume, "LIFE BEHIND THE BADGE - Spokane Police Department's Turbulent Years 1903-1923," will be out the summer of 2010. We are currently working on Volume three.
We support the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Project in Spokane - a monument currently with 309 names of officers who have given their lives while on duty in the State of Washington, and are involved in placing historical monuments in the Fairmount/Greenwood/Riverside/Spokane Memorial Gardens cemetaries - most recently the monument dedicated to the "Mother of Father's Day" Sonora Smart Dodd on June 20, 2010 on the 100th Anniversary of Father's Day celebrating its centennial. We dedicate one a year to a woman in history, another to a law enforcement individual, and one to someone else, this year to a Vietnam Veteran Medal of Honor recipient on September 11, 2010.
Be sure to check our Gift Shop for Law enforcement items, books, pins, patches, etc. for sale to support our museum.
Glen L. Whiteley started collecting law enforcement memorabilia in 1990 and the collection took over his home. We became a 501 (C) (3) Non-Profit organization in 1996, elected a board of directors with officers and have been working towards finding a building eversince. Our location is due to the cooperation of the Spokane Police Department and Spokane COPS
Our collection dates back to the mid 1880s and includes area-wide law enforcement, national, and some from other parts of the world.
Jail records, documents, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, photos, state and county records, police benecial minutes, etc.
Access: General Public, Students, Scholars, Members
Appointment required: True
Call us to verify hours as we are working on getting volunteers to staff Wednesday through Saturday same hours.
Special tours may be booked through the SPLEM Historical Office at 509-477-6449