Vancouver Police Museum
Saturday, January 24th of 2015 was a wet and dreary winter day in Vancouver. Not a day to be outdoors, much better to be settled into a leather armchair by the fire with a Scotch in one hand and a good book in the other. Unfortunately this was not to be for One Man Wondering. A search on the internet provided a clue to a scene related to many crimes in Vancouver, thus prompting the intrepid Wonderer and Partner to leave the warm comfort of their home for a drive through drizzle into the heart of the seedier side of the City.
Scenes of the Crimes
Arriving at 240 Cordova Street a little after 14:00 hours there was much evidence of lives disturbed with little regard, from a solitary soggy sleeping bag bunched into a corner to a complete set of household furnishings lying crumpled in the rain in the middle of a courtyard, this was a place of bleak hopelessness. What could lie behind the solid wooden doors of the Coroner’s Court? Well there’s the original City Morgue, Autopsy Facility and City Analysts lab to start. The building has been turned over to a series of exhibits showing the history of the Vancouver Police Department from as early as June 1886. These include a display showing the evolution of Police Equipment like the change in headwear from the original Bobby Hat of the early 1900's to the Bobby Helmet (both based on the English styles at the time) and through to the flat hat seen in the 3rd photo. The change to the flat style came in the 1920's when the police force started using cars — the tall Bobby Helmets kept bumping against the frame.
Bobby Hat 1900's
Bobby Helmet
Flat Cap with the Introduction of Cars
Tear Gas Truncheon
The Tear Gas Truncheon was used as a club or to fire Tear Gas during crowd control. These were used by the VPD during the 1950's. In another room there is a display showing artifacts from the Vancouver ERT (Emergency Response Team) which started out as the “Special Squad” and was only a part-time force until 1987. A visit to the museum will reveal what happened to change the status to get the ERT upgraded to full-time status in 1995. Clue: Who was Sgt. Larry Young? In June of 1912 women’s groups in the city were pushing the VPD to get more involved in crimes against women and children — especially crimes related to the rapidly growing sex trade. Two female constables were hired that year making Vancouver only the second city in North America with female constables on the police force. There’s a section on the Mounted Squad that would be of interest to horse lovers and another about the Traffic Unit including the VPD Motorcycle Drill Team established in 1936.
Member of the VPD Motorcycle Drill Team
On one wall there are 16 photos to remember all the VPD officers who lost their lives since the force was created back in 1886. The first on-duty VPD member killed in action was Constable Lewis Byers on March 25th, 1912 when he was 21. He was trying to question a suspect in relation to a potential armed robbery of a liquor store. He is the youngest member killed on duty in Vancouver. When you visit the museum take a moment to reflect those who sacrificed their lives and who are presently serving. A separate room contains a collection of confiscated weapons and displays related to the source of many Vancouver crimes: narcotics.
Knife in Pen
Flare Gun
Although it is legal to buy and own Flare Guns for the sole purpose of notifying when in distress, they are considered firearms under the Criminal Code in Canada when used to commit a crime. Below is a photo from FBI Forensic Science Communications Site showing the kind of deadly damage a slightly modified Flare Gun can do to a human head.
Here’s a quote from the Police Museum Audio Tour which can be downloaded to your Android smartphone HERE.
“Intention and context are important factors when determining what is and what is not an illegal weapon. Carrying a can of Bear Guard whilst camping is appropriate, while carrying one walking the streets of the city implies the intention to cause harm”
Good to know. The item in the next photo doesn’t need any context to determine if the intention of the person carrying it is to cause harm — a baseball bat full of 6" nails. This is item #136 and a homemade weapon known as the “Spiked Baseball Bat”. The scary part is that this was not something used by a vicious gang member — it was actually made by a 12 year old boy! Check out the details at the museum.
Spiked Baseball Bat
Unfortunately in many cases the police don’t get involved until after a death has occurred at which time if the death is considered suspicious or cannot be explained then an autopsy has to be completed.
The Curious are Welcome
This building was used as the City Morgue from 1932 to 1980 — almost 50 years. There are 15 steel drawers in the room adjacent to the Autopsy Suite — the original stainless steel drawers used to store the remains of the victims. In this room there are also displays relating to to some of the more infamous murders from Vancouver in the last century. Some have still not been solved.
Original Wall of Morgue Drawers
Do Not Look Inside!
Forgotten Murders Still Haunt
The autopsy room room is the last room of the tour before making a U-turn back towards the front door. Numbers on the board note the weight of individual organs as they are removed for inspection.
Weights of Organs on the Board
The two steel tables are originals. Bodies were placed on them for autopsy — note that they are angled to allow body fluids to drain away. In the background of the lower photos is what looks like a wood stove for heating the room. It isn’t. This is an incinerator used to get rid of unwanted waste.
Bullet Hole in Window — Bottom Left Pane
When you make the tour take a moment to check out the bullet hole in the window on the south wall and read how is was part of an attempt to prevent the pathologist from finding the truth in a murder case. CSI Vancouver style — who said this was a dull town?
Someone Tried to Assassinate the Pathologist
1927 Tommy Gun
There is one more room that I found fascinating and that was the one with the firearms collection. There are 3 Thompson Submachine Guns in the collection including an original Widow Maker from 1921 and a rare lighter weight 1927 model. Police departments in Canada also used Thompsons Submachine Guns in order to compete against organized crime of the period.
Our next visit will be to experience the Sins of the City walking tour. $20 for adults during the regular season or gather your gang of 6 cronies and you can get a private tour anytime with an appointment
Originally published at www.onemanwondering.com on May 23, 2015.
