dayton police history foundation

What dayton police history foundation does

Dayton Police History Foundation (DPHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization chartered by the State of Ohio on January 1, 2010, and operating as a component fund of The Dayton Foundation since March 19, 2026. Its mission is to recount Dayton's police past and preserve local law enforcement history through temporary exhibits, published historical accounts, public presentations, and memorials honoring fallen officers. The foundation maintains an exclusive archive of Dayton police artifacts, photographs, documents, and oral histories dating from 1867 to the present, including materials tied to figures such as John Dillinger and five-decade chief Rudy Wurstner.

DPHF's products and services consist of rotating exhibits hosted at Carillon Historical Park (most notably the 2008 'Patrolling the Streets of Dayton' exhibit and the 2019–2023 'Bootleggers, Bandits, and Badges'), three published books sold through Amazon ('The Dean, Dillinger, and Dayton, Ohio'; 'The Christmas Killings: 40 Hours to Justice'; and 'Drenched Uniforms and Battered Badges'), an online Fallen Heroes memorial honoring 93 fallen officers across the Dayton region, and educational presentations. Its long-term goal is to establish a permanent Dayton Metropolitan Police Museum, with an associated $1.5 million capital campaign and concept renderings already produced by Exhibit Concepts, Inc. in December 2015.

The foundation is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees composed predominantly of current and retired Dayton Police Department personnel and museum professionals; it has no disclosed paid employees and operates from a P.O. Box in Dayton. Revenue is generated exclusively through tax-deductible donations processed via The Dayton Foundation and modest proceeds from Amazon book sales, with no commercial pricing or products. There is no proprietary technology, no API or software product, and no technology-oriented integrations disclosed.

Name

dayton police history foundation

Legal name

Dayton Police History Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://daytonpolicehistory.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Dayton Police History Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and component fund of The Dayton Foundation that preserves and teaches Dayton law enforcement history through exhibits at Carillon Historical Park, published books, presentations, and fallen-officer memorials, with a long-term goal of establishing a permanent police museum.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Preservation Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Police history preservation
• Historical museum exhibits
• Law enforcement heritage
• Fallen officer memorials
• Historical publications

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and component fund of The Dayton Foundation, DPHF relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals, organizations, and businesses to fund exhibits, publications, and the long-term goal of establishing a permanent police museum.
2. Book Sales: DPHF publishes historical accounts about Dayton police history including books like 'The Dean, Dillinger, and Dayton, Ohio', 'The Christmas Killings: 40 Hours to Justice', and 'Drenched Uniforms and Battered Badges'. Proceeds from book sales support the foundation's preservation efforts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dayton Police History Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that preserves and teaches the history of Dayton law enforcement through temporary and rotating historical exhibits at Carillon Historical Park, published historical books sold via Amazon, public presentations, and fallen officer memorials. The foundation also accepts monetary and tangible donations and is working toward establishing a permanent Dayton Metropolitan Police Museum.

Product overview

Dayton Police History Foundation is a nonprofit organization operating as a component fund of The Dayton Foundation, dedicated to preserving and promoting Dayton police history. The organization offers rotating historical exhibits at Carillon Historical Park (including 'Patrolling the Streets of Dayton' 2008 and 'Bootleggers, Bandits, and Badges' 2019-2023), publishes historical books on Dayton law enforcement (The Dean, Dillinger, and Dayton, Ohio; The Christmas Killings: 40 Hours to Justice; Drenched Uniforms and Battered Badges), maintains a Fallen Heroes memorial honoring 93 fallen officers from the Dayton region, and is working to establish a permanent Dayton Metropolitan Police Museum with a $1.5 million fundraising goal. The organization also accepts monetary and tangible donations (photographs, documents, artifacts) and provides educational presentations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Police History Exhibits
• The Dean, Dillinger, and Dayton, Ohio
• The Christmas Killings: 40 Hours to Justice
• Drenched Uniforms and Battered Badges - How Dayton Police Emerged from the 1913 Flood
• Fallen Heroes Memorial
• Donation Programs
• Historical Presentations
• Dayton Metropolitan Police Museum Initiative

Quantifiable outcome

• 2008 exhibit visited by 20,000 children and community members
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Dayton FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Dayton Police History Foundation officially affiliated with The Dayton Foundation on March 19, 2026, operating as a component fund under its charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. The Dayton Foundation processes all gifts and donations for DPHF.
• Dayton History at Carillon Historical ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPHF partners with Dayton History at Carillon Historical Park to host exhibits and preserve artifacts. The 2008 'Patrolling the Streets of Dayton' exhibit and the 2019-2023 'Bootleggers, Bandits, and Badges' exhibit were hosted at the park. DPHF often acts as an intermediary with Carillon Historical Park for artifact donations.
• Dayton Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 44coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPHF maintains a close working relationship with Dayton FOP Lodge No. 44, which was established March 2, 1938. The foundation's curator Steve Grismer serves as historian for the FOP lodge. The FOP Foundation, Inc. also partners with DPHF for artifact preservation.
• National Law Enforcement Officers MemorialminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPHF honors fallen officers through recognition at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. The foundation coordinates with the memorial service and supports the annual ceremonies honoring officers who died in the line of duty.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dayton History at Carillon Historical Park: Operates Carillon Historical Park in Dayton and serves as DPHF's primary exhibit host and strategic partner. Both organizations focus on Dayton-area historical preservation and education, with overlapping audiences, shared board members (Alex Heckman serves both organizations), and co-developed exhibitions.
• National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial: National memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring fallen officers. DPHF coordinates with NLEOM for fallen officer recognition ceremonies and shares a common mission of police memorialization, though at a national scale.
• Fraternal Order of Police: National fraternal organization of law enforcement officers. DPHF maintains a close working relationship with Dayton FOP Lodge No. 44 and shares the broader mission of supporting law enforcement heritage and welfare, though FOP focuses on member services and advocacy rather than historical preservation.

Broad incumbents

• Ohio History Connection: Statewide historical society operating multiple sites across Ohio. Comparable as a regional heritage preservation organization but with much broader scope covering all of Ohio history rather than police-specific Dayton content.
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History: National-level museum covering American history including law enforcement artifacts and exhibitions. A broad incumbent in the museum/heritage space that contextualizes DPHF's local focus against national-scale institutions.
• National Law Enforcement Museum: Washington, D.C.-based museum operated by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. The most direct large-scale counterpart to DPHF's mission of preserving and exhibiting police history at the national level.

Others

• National Museum of the U.S. Air Force: Major military heritage museum in Dayton. Not directly competitive but a comparable Dayton-area museum institution; DPHF board member Lauryn Bailiff served as Special Events Deputy Chief there, illustrating ecosystem overlap.
• Dayton Foundation: Parent community foundation under which DPHF operates as a component fund. Comparable as a Dayton-based 501(c)(3) organization providing fiscal sponsorship and donation infrastructure, supporting DPHF's operational backbone.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DaytonPoliceHistory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about dayton police history foundation