Paris Police Prefecture Museum

Updated on September 30, 2026

On the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, in the 5th arrondissement, the Paris Police Prefecture Museum is housed in the arrondissement's police station. Founded in 1909 on the initiative of Prefect Louis Lépine, it holds around 2,000 items on the history of the Paris police, from the 17th century to the present day. Arrest orders, uniforms, weapons and pieces of evidence recall famous cases, from the Affair of the Poisons to the Landru and Petiot files. The visit is free and by reservation only: an officer escorts you from the police station reception desk to the galleries.

Highlights

Forensic science

One room traces the birth of identification methods, starting with Alphonse Bertillon, who joined the Police Prefecture in 1879. The route then follows fingerprints and DNA, showing how physical evidence transformed investigations.

The anthropometric measuring case

Callipers, rulers and sliding gauges were used to record the measurements of the skull and body of people under arrest. Combined with front and profile photographs, these measurements formed "bertillonage", adopted by the Paris police in the 1880s.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Admission is free (prices checked in September 2026), but online booking is compulsory for every visitor, including children and accompanying adults. Report to the police station reception desk at the time of your slot; anyone not registered may be refused entry. For security reasons, visitor numbers are limited and all visits are escorted.

How to get there

Metro Maubert-Mutualité, line 10. Bus 47, 63, 86 and 87, Maubert-Mutualité stop. Address: 5th arrondissement police station, 4 rue de la Montagne-Sainte-Geneviève, 75005 Paris.