Yesterday I was at a meeting at Holiday Village Mall in Great Falls. Just a couple doors away from our meeting room was the Montana Law Enforcement Museum. I have been there before but I was amazed at how many in the group hadn’t even heard of the museum.
The Law Enforcement Museum is small, basically one long, open room with some prized displays. One of the first ones you see is a mountain lion which seemed out of place to some of our group. Our volunteer tour guide Morris was quick to point out that MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks is also involved in law enforcement. In fact, they have a fair sized game warden program spread throughout the state.
One display that I found interesting is a collection of “things” found on prisoners that were used for potential escapes. History of Montana’s Highway Patrol, devices used to aid in capturing law breakers, and information about significant law enforcement officers literally lines the walls. They have done a great job of using the space available for displays.
At the back of the room is an old patrol car, completely restored and buffed to a beautiful shine. The car is taken out periodically and used for parades. Morris said it’s quite a feat to get it back in to position each time it’s taken out.
The museum is run entirely on volunteers. Our tour guide had a keen interest in law enforcement history and I suspect he had a great history background in general. Admission to the Law Enforcement Museum is free. Next time you are heading to Holiday Village Mall, or waiting for a shopper there, check out what the Law Enforcement Museum has to offer. It’s a real gem tucked in to a side entrance at the mall.