The rolled out big plans Thursday for a new, multi-story building across the street from the National Western Complex that will feature virtual reality, crime-scene experiments and a memorial chapel for fallen officers.
“Dusty old display cases — that’s not what this is going to be about,” said Lance Nading, a volunteer with the Denver Police Museum whose father was killed in the line of duty in 1971. “Instead, you’re more likely to have interactions like flying a virtual helicopter than seeing an old gun.”
For now, the museum is located in an auditorium at Denver Police Department headquarters on Cherokee Street, where some old uniforms, pictures and other displays are pushed against the walls.
The museum should close on a $1 million real estate deal this month to buy a garage and two homes that now are rental property at 4700 Brighton Boulevard. But the reality of a new museum is several years out, museum president Mark Hesse said.
The old buildings eventually will be torn down and replaced with a larger structure to house the collection. It will cost an estimated $15 million and will be funded through private donations, Hesse said.
There’s no need to open a flashy new museum while Interstate 70 is under construction, he said. The museum will rent the building to contractors working on the interstate project.
Former police officers and their families are the driving force behind the museum. Hesse’s father was a Denver cop from 1957 to 1983.
“This is a way to thank my father for what he did,” Hesse said.
While the museum will be a celebration of Denver’s police officers, it won’t shy away from past for burglary, often while on duty.
“We’re going to talk about the scandals,” Hesse said. “Young people today are really smart. If you don’t give them an honest accounting, they will see through that.”
The main goal is to encourage young people to seek careers in law enforcement as well as restore faith and respect for police officers, who are community servants.
“I want this museum to instill the values of what a police officer is and should be,” said Lou Lopez, a retired Denver police lieutenant. “Being a police officer is more than answering a call from someone in the public. It means stepping forward and giving to the community and getting to know the community.”
