Tangible police history

Ever wonder what those old dispatch radios that police used to use looked like? Or what a police motorcycle or AR-15 assault rifle looks like up close?

Just swing by the Newport Beach Police Station, where thanks to community donations over the last couple of years, the lobby now doubles as a department museum.

With a donation of more than $50,000 by a local department supporter to kick start the project, Newport Beach police renovated the lobby area where locals can file reports and get police reports. The renovation was a goal of the previous chief, officials said.

On either side of the lobby, visitors can see a timeline of the department’s history, full of photographs of officers, dates of important events and other pieces from the past. Besides the motorcycle and gun, a large dispatch radio unit is on display as well as the city’s recruitment video.

Some of the items were donated by retired officers, said Sgt. Evan Sailor.

— Joseph Serna