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SALT LAKE CITY — A new police and fire safety museum opened Tuesday to pay respects to fallen Salt Lake police officers and firefighters.
Located in the Salt Lake City Public Safety Building, 475 S. 300 East, the museum demonstrates the cohesive relationship between the two departments with the memorial displays.
Police officers were honored with 24 shadow boxes containing personal items from officers who died. The fire department highlighted four specific fires in which firefighters were killed in the line of duty.
Vickie Walker lost her husband, Jeff, in the 2007 Trolley Square shooting and her son, Alan, was injured.
Walker, founder of Circle the Wagons, an organization that provides guidance and support to victims of violent crime, called the exhibit "incredible."
“It’s the history of the police department," she said. "Of course I’m thrilled they are paying attention to the bad and also the good that comes out of the situation.”
The museum showcased a collection of historic items to help explain the evolution of public safety in Utah. After 293 years of combined service, the Salt Lake Police and Fire departments gathered a "small but robust collection of police and fire history," said Lara Jones, spokeswomen for the police department.
We made a commitment to the public when we opened this building that it would be open and accessible to the public, and this would be someplace that people could come and enjoy. I think we have accomplished this.
–Salt Lake Police Chief Chris Burbank
The exhibit features Utah's first firearm, two police-issued motorcycles, the first manually operated water pump west of the Mississippi, the Olympic torch and coats worn by officers during the 2002 Winter Games, and documents from high-profile police investigations.
Two years in the making, the exhibit opened on time as Thursday is National Police Officers Memorial Day.
Salt Lake Police Chief Chris Burbank said he's proud of what the museum means for the fire and police departments, as well as the community.
“We made a commitment to the public when we opened this building that it would be open and accessible to the public, and this would be someplace that people could come and enjoy," Burbank said. "I think we have accomplished this."
The museum is free and self-guided and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
