The Pittsburgh Police Historical Association Collection at the Senator John Heinz History Center

Crime and vice have always been part of community history, but until recently, few local history museums regularly collected such material. Existing collections were often assembled and preserved by members of the law enforcement community, often for honorific purposes. Such is the case for the Pittsburgh Police Historical Association Collection now at the Senator John Heinz History Center. But while such holdings were accumulated from a specific point of view, they can still reveal broader stories about crime and vice in the community. This article offers an example and encourages more researchers to turn their attention to such holdings.