For nearly a century, more mass has been measured in galaxies than is contained in the visible matter. Through a variety of observations, it has become clear that the dark matter in galaxies is not comprised of known astronomical objects or baryonic matter, and that its identification is certain to reveal a profound connection between astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics. In this talk, I discuss and interpret Galactic searches for dark matter, focusing on how to use astronomical observations to measure the properties of particle dark matter. I discuss how the properties of the Milky Way’s faint satellite galaxies are used to test for exotic properties beyond the standard cold and collisionless dark matter model. I conclude by highlighting how in the next several years we will either confirm the leading theoretical model for dark matter, or there will be a paradigm shift in our view of it.