The museum, which grew from a gallery housed at the New York City Police Academy, opened at 26 Broadway at Bowling Green in January 2000 and re-opened in a new location at 100 Old Slip, former home of the First Precinct, in January 2002. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused substantial damage at 100 Old Slip, and the museum reopened on October 24, 2013 at 45 Wall Street. That location closed in 2014 and the museum's future plans are unclear. While there were attempts to move the museum to Pershing Hall, a historic building on Governors Island, to date the museum has only sponsored a few exhibits on the island that is open to the public from May to September.