A few months back the wife and I had the occasion to visit Cocoa Beach, Fl. We had a week at a nice hotel directly on the beach looking at the Atlantic Ocean, the Sun, and the Sand. One day there was no Sun or Sand to enjoy so we took a little ride to the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum. It was years since our last visit and gave us another nice day despite the weather. The building above is the museum pictured from the parking lot.
One of the first displays that you see after paying your ticket (yes there is a law enforcement discount) is a series of old Police Cars. This Black & White is a 1956 Ford in mint condition.
This is a 9-11 display. The twin towers list the names of fallen officers. At the base are remnants of rubble from the two buildings, concrete, rebar, and a piece of the airplane that crashed into the buildings's side.
The colorful circle at the base contains the patches from New York City Police, The NY-NJ Port Authority Police and the NYC Fire Dept.
Below is a close up of several names of officers who perished that day. One name was a friend.
This display is simple, but an extremely emotional reminder of the terror attack on our Country on September 11, 2001.
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I am not sure if this was Lady Liberty, but I did like that she was holding the Red, White & Blue. That lifted my spirits.*****
There are many fire arms displayed in the museum. This reminded me of one that I used to own so naturally I had to take this picture.
Over on the right is a reconstructed jail cell for two tenants.
Underneath is a Bad Dude (me) getting his new Prison attire. I decided to keep my Florida shirt and move on.
***** In another section of the Museum there are historical pieces of the means of Execution.
Above is an Electric Chair. You can sit in it for a picture. It's safe as it is not plugged in. I chose not to sit.
The picture to the right is the GUILLOTINE.
It is a quite quick and efficient method of carrying out an execution. The blade is sharp and weighted to complete the job in a single movement. Note the basket used to catch the fallen head.
The picture, to the left and below are methods of Restraining Prisoners.
To the left is a Chair with Wheels. The prisoner was secured to this device and then wheeled to wherever he was needed.
The Stocks is the subject of the picture below. There are no wheels on this device as the prisoner was not intended to go anywhere. He just stood with his/her head and hands in the appropriate holes and locked in place.
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The next two pictures here show a blend of old technology and newer tech.
The yellow machine is a robotic bomb defuser operated by the officer, in the heavy outfit, to the rear. If you see him run then you better run too.
The thing below is a lantern used by police officers, and others back in the day. It is the forerunner of the "flashlight." The models that followed the pictured item had a retractable cover over the lens. A squeeze of a handle control opened the cover and allowed light to flash out - hence flashlight.
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The visit here was a nice diversion from the (absent) Florida Sun. I enjoyed it and worked up a good appetite for some cold shrimp and beer. You got to try it.
