By Mary O’KEEFE

The Glendale Police Dept. recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its GPD Museum. It has taken some time to get to the groundbreaking point of the project but now it is moving forward and the museum will soon be a place the community can visit and learn the rich history of the department.

GPD officials are hoping to have the grand opening toward the end of the year. The museum has been in the concept stage for many years, or at least the collection of artifacts began years ago.

There was never an official historian of the department but officers over the years had collected information, pictures and items from the past. All of that was passed down from officer to unofficial historian officer arriving most recently at the desk of Sgt. Teal Metts.

“We had put everything in storage, archived and scanned all the photos until about four years ago when I started introducing the idea of a museum,” Metts said.

He pitched his idea to then-GPD Chief Robert Castro who offered an area in the front lobby of the GPD station at 131 N. Isabel St. for the museum. The area is about 11’x17’ located in the north area of the lobby. Metts also received strong support from the Glendale Police Foundation whose members began working on fundraising.

“The City of Glendale community appreciates the Glendale Police Dept. for its hard work and dedication and keeping us safe. For that reason the community assisted us [in raising] over $300,000 for this project to display the memories and all the hard work and dedication of the officers and GPD have given us since 1906,” said Robert Parseghian. “As president of the Glendale Police Foundation, I am very proud of the community coming together and making the museum a reality. This shows camaraderie that we do support and appreciate our police department.”

Funds needed are not just for the construction but to acquire new items as they are discovered.

“I found old badges from the 1960s with a hat badge and that was $1,000 [to purchase],” Metts said.

He said he is always on the lookout for everything and anything GPD, from badges to uniforms to old revolvers – of which he has found a few. Acquiring these items typically requires funding; however, there have been residents who find artifacts in their parents’ homes and residents who had collected items over the years who are willing to donate them to the museum.

“I have a couple of favorite [artifacts]. One is the very first badge [issued by the department], badge No. 1. It was just a stamped piece of tin you could bend in half but that’s my favorite,” he said.

Other favorites are the guns, one of which was issued to the first police woman in the 1940s.

“Back then, police women were not like they are today, they were more of a community service officer and they were called ‘police women’ until the 1970s,” he said.

The first female police officer with GPD was Pauline Copeland. Her revolver, which was dated as “prewar,” was donated to the museum last year.

Metts has collected and continues to look for more artifacts. He has found the first patches and other items but many have a high price. He has found that some of the police patches, a hot item at present, have sold for up to $2,000.

Anyone who would like to donate an artifact can bring it by the GPD station on Isabel Street or call the station and ask for Sgt. Teal Metts, (818) 548-4911.

  Mary Okeefe