The Sudbury Region Police Museum, previously located on the third floor of the Greater Sudbury Police headquarters in downtown Sudbury, is on the move.
Heather Lewis, chair of the police museum, said the plan right now is to open the museum on the main level of 128 Larch St. (the Vianet building) early in the new year.
The police museum, which documents the history of Greater Sudbury Police Service and its predecessor police services, was moved to the new building due to space demands at police headquarters and to make the museum more accessible to the public.
The museum contains artefacts including old forensics and communications equipment, firearms seized through investigations, as well as firearms carried by officers, and uniforms worn by officers through the years.
In 2023, the museum is celebrating 50 years of policing as an amalgamated region (bringing together the Sudbury police with services such as Copper Cliff, Capreol and Neelon-Garson, for example), as well as 140 years of policing in the region of Sudbury.
As part of that celebration, the museum is selling a 2023 fundraising calendar, depicting historic photos of policing in the Sudbury area through the years. It is also selling note cards with some of the same images.
The money raised through the sales of the calendars and note cards will be put towards a digital wall of memories for the police museum.
The wall of memories will remember the eight local police officers who have died in the line of duty, as well as the five local officers who died in the First and Second World Wars.
Lewis said the wall of memories will also eventually honour police service members or employees — as well as retirees — who have passed away. She said Sudbury police retiree Sgt. Steve Walker has been working on this project for many years.
If you’d like to purchase a calendar (for $15) or note cards (for $10), you’re asked to phone 705-675-9171, ext. 2635 or email [email protected].
Once the police museum is up and running, you can also use the above contact information to book a tour.
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s associate content editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.
