Musée de la police de Montréal
The Musée de la police de Montréal has been in existence since 1992. It operates with the support of volunteers, mostly retired SPVM police officers and civilian employees, as well as some civilian volunteers with expertise in museology.
For a number of years, members of the SPVM were considering the idea of creating a museum, which they saw as a way of contributing to their collective heritage.
So they set out to establish a mission and objectives for the museum and created a logo.
The members of the board of directors are charged with maintaining the museum’s vitality.
The Musée de la police is dedicated to the history of police officers in Montréal, from the introduction of the first police force in 1843 to the present. Its dual goal is to preserve the Service’s collective memory and raise awareness of the SPVM’s contributions to life in Montréal.
Mission
The Société du Musée de la police is a not-for-profit organization mainly devoted to educating and developing the SPVM staff. It is the only official organization within the SPVM mandated to receive, restore and collect objects, documents and photographs that illustrate the cultural and organizational heritage of the SPVM.
The Société and its directors embrace the following mission:
- Seek out, collect, restore and preserve, interpret and exhibit the cultural and organizational artefacts that illustrate the history of police services on the island of Montréal since the city’s founding
- Authenticate, classify, evaluate and record the acquisitions
- Educate the staff and community about the SPVM’s heritage
- Pay homage to current and former SPVM staff who have helped maintain peace and public security
Objectives
The objectives of the Société du Musée are to:
- Keep the SPVM’s history alive among the staff and community members
- Promote the cultural and social heritage
- Preserve and exhibit the materials, objects, artefacts and memories related to police cultural and social heritage and history
- Inspire and foster group pride in retired, current and future SPVM staff
- Achieve financial self-sufficiency for museum activities
They do this through:
- Written and electronic publications (radio and television, SPVM website)
- Lectures by invited guest speakers (members or volunteers)
- Oral presentations during visits to the museum or at outside exhibits
