Over 130 years of history
The Phoenix Police Museum is located at 17 South 2nd Avenue, on the 1st floor of the Historic Phoenix City Hall. The museum highlights the history of the Phoenix Police Department from 1881, when Henry Garfias, was elected the first city marshal to the present.
the Miranda Case
In the late evening hours of March 3rd, 1963 a young Phoenix woman was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and robbed while walking from a bus stop. Ten days later, on March 13th, 1963, Ernesto Miranda was arrested by the Phoenix Police for the assault. This set in motion a series of court hearings which resulted in a U.S. Supreme Court decision that would impact interviews between law enforcement and those suspected of crimes.
Police Work After WWII
Many changes to police work occurred after World War II, form uniforms to weapons. The department began to become more standardized in its academy, training and policies.
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PD history Great staff & exhibits. There's a little bit of everything. No admittance fee but donations are encouraged. ... read more 
livingthedream306/15/2020
Informative Museum If you or your kids are interested in law enforcement, this museum should be on your itinerary. It takes about... read more Amy L.3/23/2020Small but well-crafted free museum with free parking (limited) in front. Great stuff for kids to do. Interesting facts about... read more
Michael M.3/05/2020Police Museum! What an interesting piece of history! Our hosts were retired police officers and family. It's a small museum, but has... read more dnrmom3/05/2020Very informational. Great displays. Helpful staff. Shows the origins of Miranda Rights. Car, motorcycle, helicopter, etc on display. Pay homage... read more
Amy G.2/22/2020Interesting bit of history of Phoenix PD. If you get the chance be sure to stop by visit. Totally worth... read more
Adam K.2/21/2020 - A great historical gem This is a gem of a small museum. I’m so happy I found it! Even better were the extremely knowledgeable... read more 75caraf2/12/2020
The City of Phoenix had a tremendous amount of history. The curator of this small museum was able to... read more 
Donny S.2/07/2020
I really like the car outside it's really well taken care of and it looks like you can still drive... read more 
lea c.2/06/2020Car show day Great place to visit, guys gave us a tour.we were downtown for a car show. Good history of the Phoenix pd paxx67821/17/2020Interesting history of law enforcement in Phoenix Loved the idea of shackling early criminals to a rock as there wasn't a jail - can we bring that... read more flowerlady641/09/2020Fairly interesting museum, lots of different areas in the history of the phoenix police department. Section on miranda case... read more
Caleb D.1/03/2020 - Lots of Phoenix PD history Very welcoming and informative volunteers. The exhibits are well laid out in chronological order and are in very good... read more SF_RoadWarrior12/27/2019Free Museum to spend a few hours at Free Museum to spend a few hours at. Don't miss the Miranda exhibit and a nice tribute to the 9/11 events. BillL232912/20/2019Good history of the Phoenix Police Department We drove to downtown specifically see the Wells Fargo Museum and the Police Museum, located just a couple of blocks... read more David G.12/05/2019
Must see if in the downtown area. History of the Phoenix police department as well as great gifts for any... read more
John P.11/27/2019Must see if in the downtown area. History of the Phoenix police department as well as great gifts for any... read more
John P.11/27/2019This museum was nice. Interesting things to see. Learned about Miranda rights. Police patches from all over the US. They... read more
Ja B.11/10/2019 -
This is an excellent museum, especially for not costing anything. You can see all sorts of memorabilia, learn about famous... read more
Trey G.10/28/2019Wonderful little museum! The exhibits are laid out chronologically and host a ton of interesting information about the department’s history.... read more
Jake R.10/22/2019What a great little museum. We were greeted as soon as we walked in. A very nice woman... read more 
Jennifer P.10/10/2019They even let u pose with the striped shirts and an old school number card, lol. If u want they... read more
Tanya R.9/28/2019The kids loved playing in the police car with their police uniform on! The retired officers were incredibly friendly, knowledgeable,... read more
Steven a.8/31/2019This is a great place to visit! We were lucky enough to get the retired officer (Ken) whose partner... read more 
Jennifer B.8/13/2019 - My husband and I brought our two little boys and what a treat! This is a wonderful museum! We were... read more
Sandra D.8/08/2019Well worth a visit in Downtown Phoenix The museum is located just a couple of minutes walk from the downtown stop on the tramway that runs from... read more 320PeterS3208/05/2019Wonderful museum, free admission. Covers the history of the Phoenix Police force from territorial times to present. Has a touching... read more
samuraioni8/01/2019Wonderful museum, free admission. Covers the history of the Phoenix Police force from territorial times to present. Has a touching... read more
samuraioni ..8/01/2019Nice little museum We were killing time before our flight left and decided to check this museum out. It’s free and located in... read more brenbri7/28/2019Glad I went.. For adults and kids. Help there was awesome. Would recommend going.
john h.7/27/2019
Experience parts of our past through the eyes of the men and women who take the oath protect it.
thin blue line gear
The "Thin Blue Line" stands for law enforcement's separation of order from chaos, or, as Oxford Dictionaries describes, it's a reference to police, "in the context of maintaining order during unrest." ... The thin blue line flag stands for the sacrifice law enforcement officers of this nation make each day. Show your support by purchasing and proudly displaying your Thin Blue Line gear today!
COMMEMORATIVE RINGS NOW AVAILABLE!
The Phoenix Police Department Collection of rings is now available for purchase from Jostens. The leader in commemorative rings production. You're able to cusotmize your ring with your information and tastes. You're able to add your name, department, years of service, and more. Click the button below to learn more and order your ring today.
*Rings can only be purchased by current and former officers/employees or their families. When prompted enter access code "ppd85003" to log into the store.
Show your support
The museum operates on donations from the public so any help you can offer is welcome. We have different ways to donate and different items you can donate to. Use the button below to see all of our options for helping us preserve the past.
The Latest Selections From Our Blog
A Dangerous Night in Paris Alley
by Ed Reynolds Officers Patrick E. Henry and Charles “Rocky” Rockyvich were on routine patrol March 21st, 1960, but they knew that nothing in Paris Alley is routine. Paris Alley was that small, but very dangerous area of the deuce, in downtown Phoenix. Located near...
The first Police Radio system in Arizona
The Phoenix Police Department communications section came into being in November 28, 1932 when our department established the first police radio system in the state of Arizona. Previously, a bright light with an attached horn had been placed on a tower on top of...
An interview with Seth Scott Allen – Badge #301
August 15, 2008 Conducted by Dannette Turner Seth Allen became an Officer in 1956. He was 25 years old, married, and moved to Phoenix from Thatcher, Arizona. When he joined the Phoenix Police Department he lived at 723 N 28th...
Display one of our vehicles at your event!
If you’re interested in having our vehicles on display at your event simply click on the Learn More Button below. Our vehicles are available for free, however, we do ask you to make a donation to the museums’s vehicle restoration and maintenance fund to help us acquire and maintain these classic police vehicles.
Historical Research
The Phoenix Police Museum can perform historical research for you on a person or topic you choose. Our researchers can comb through our historical archives and create a report for you on a specific date, a historical figure, a family member, or a specific incident or issue. Let us help you learn more about our great history.
Email Us
Come on In! Free admission
Weekdays
9AM -3PM
(Last entrance at 2:45PM)
*Service dogs are welcome
closed for holidays
New Year’s Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday
Presidents Day
Cesar Chavez Birthday (March 31)
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
The day after Thanksgiving
Christmas Day
Contact info
Phone
602.534.7278
Mailing Address
17 South 2nd Avenue
Historic City Hall 1st Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85003-2202
Admission
Admission is free, but we will gladly take donations!
The Phoenix Police Museum is an IRS approved non profit 501C3 organization. We are supported by the generous monthly payroll deduction of over 1,700 Police and City of Phoenix employees as well as donations from individuals and businesses.
Parking
Paid Parking is available along Jefferson Street at the meters or in the City of Phoenix parking garage located at 305 West Washington Street.
Meters - Hourly Rates
Meters cost $1.50 per hour and coin-only meters cost $1 per hour.
Payment Method
Most meters accept credit/debit cards and coins and others only accept coins.
Pay-by-cell is also available via the Pango Mobile Parking app for credit card enabled parking meter
Time Limits
Time limits generally vary by location. Time limits at metered locations can range from 15 minutes to as long as 8 hours. In most areas, the maximum duration is 2 hours. The parking time limits are posted on each meter.
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Accessible Meters
Phoenix has several on-street accessible parking spaces throughout the downtown area. Each space is clearly marked with a special sign with the international symbol of access.
Vehicles displaying a valid ADA License Plate and/or Placard receive one hour of free parking once their parking meter has expired. Vehicles displaying a valid Purple Heart Recipient license plate also receive one free additional hour. This applies to all parking meters, not just the designated ADA Accessible parking meters. The nearest ADA paid parking meter is located just East of 2nd Avenue on Jefferson on the North side of the roadway.
305 PARKING GARAGE
The City of Phoenix parking garage is managed by Ace Parking and can be contacted at 1-888-223-7275. It does have Disable spots available and has a height restriction of vehicles of 8’2″. Wider vehicles must call ahead to make an appointment for a limited number of over sized vehicles. The cost of all parking is $4.00 per hour. The Museum does not validate parking for visitors.
How to get here...
From the Northwest Valley via I-17 South I-17 to I-10 East (exit 200A) Exit at 7th Avenue (exit 144A) and turn right Travel 1 mile to Jefferson Street and turn left Move to the left lane. Turn left into City Public Parking Garage between 4th and 3rd Avenues.
From the Northeast Valley via SR51 South SR51 to I-10 West Exit at 7th Avenue (exit 144A) and turn left Travel 1 mile to Jefferson Street and turn left. Move to the left lane. Turn left into City Public Parking Garage between 4th and 3rd Avenues.
From the West Valley via I-10 East Exit at 7th Avenue (exit 144A) and turn right Travel 1 mile to Jefferson Street and turn left. Move to the left lane Turn left into City Public Parking Garage between 4th and 3rd Avenues.
From the Southeast Valley via I-10 West Exit at 7th Avenue (exit 144) and turn left. Travel 1 mile to Jefferson Street and turn left. Move to the left lane. Turn left into City Public Parking Garage between 4th and 3rd Avenues Note: The parking garage has a second entrance on 4th Avenue between Jefferson and Washington.
Note: The parking garage has a second entrance on 4th Avenue between Jefferson and Washington.
Tours
Please call or email us to schedule a tour for groups larger than 10 persons.
602.534.7278 or [email protected]
A suggested donation of $25 is requested for group tours over 10 persons. We require appropriate adult supervision ratio for children and special needs individuals. Normal tour groups sizes are suggested to be no larger than 24 to 30 persons. It is best to call approximately one month in advance if you are requesting a specific time and day.
DONATIONS
OUR EMPLOYEE ASSOCIATION MEMBERS
Phoenix Police Reserve Foundation
