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The staffing crisis has agencies taking another look at civilianization
June 8, 2024 The staffing crisis has agencies taking another look at civilianization PERF members, Departments across the country continue to try to address current – and prolonged – staffing ...
After decades of increases, a glimmer of hope on overdose deaths
May 18, 2024 After decades of increases, a glimmer of hope on overdose deaths PERF members, Over the past ten years, PERF has brought together leaders and published reports ...
30 years of Compstat, falling homicide rates, use of AI in criminal investigations, and PERF events and opportunities
May 11, 2024 30 years of Compstat, falling homicide rates, use of AI in criminal investigations, and PERF events and opportunities PERF members, This week I’d like to cover a few different topics, ...
Trending2Dec23
December 2, 2023 The challenge of implementation PERF members, The policing profession spends a lot of time discussing and studying programs and policies, and less time thinking about how they’re ...
Trending16Sep23
September 16, 2023 Recent news about policing demonstrations, shooting at vehicles, and no-knock warrants PERF members, In today’s column I’d like to highlight a few recent news stories that ...
Trending9Sep23
September 9, 2023 Commissioner Danielle Outlaw discusses her experience in Philadelphia, Portland, and Oakland PERF members, Danielle Outlaw has held police leadership roles in three very challenging ...
Podcasts
August 10, 2024 Tucson Chief Chad Kasmar on cultivating strong leaders and TPD’s “Struggle Well” program In this episode, PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler speaks with Tucson Police Chief Chad ...
Trending29Jul23
July 29, 2023 Highlights from the PERF Annual Meeting PERF members, As I mentioned last week, we recently had a lively, thought-provoking Annual Meeting in New York City. In today’s column, I’ll ...
Trending22Jul23
July 22, 2023 Remembering a remarkable police chief and honoring PERF’s award recipients PERF members, I’ve known many police chiefs, but none quite like David Kunkle. The former Dallas police ...
Building Public Trust
PERF’s brand new podcast — “PERFcast” — is now available at the link below. In our first series, “Building Public Trust,” police leaders and community members discuss what’s needed to build public trust ...
Trending24June23
June 24, 2023 Training the best and brightest future police leaders PERF Members, Summer is here, and for PERF that means our Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP) is in full swing. ...
Trending22Apr23
April 22, 2023 It’s time for police leaders to speak out against weapons of war in our communities PERF members, A few days after the March 27 school shooting in Nashville, in which three adults ...
Trending4Mar23
March 4, 2023 What do we do when officers’ initial reports don’t align with video footage? PERF members, A recent piece in the Washington Post concluded: “analysis of seven high-profile cases ...
Trending31Dec22
December 31, 2022 Issues to watch in 2023 PERF members, On the last day of 2022, I want to look ahead to 2023. Here are a few questions I have as we enter the new year. Is the gun violence ...
Trending24Dec22
December 24, 2022 Peacekeeping on Christmas PERF members, Over the years, I’ve heard stories about what it’s like for cops to work on Christmas. Mostly it’s a quiet day with few calls, but sometimes ...
Trending17Dec22
December 17, 2022 Where is the outrage about the fentanyl crisis? PERF members, The Washington Post published an important series this week detailing the failure of successive administrations ...
Trending22Oct22
October 22, 2022 The PERF Town Hall Is Back! PERF members, When I bump into chiefs during the course of the year, they inevitably tell me that one of the most anticipated events of the year is ...
Trending15Oct22
October 15, 2022 Interrupting the Cycle of Violence: A Role for the Community and the Police PERF members, Over the years I have worked in a lot of places, but one city where I have a special ...
BaltimoreInternship
... Executive Director Chuck Wexler of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), President David Wilson of Morgan State University, ...
Trending28May22
May 28, 2022 What Police Chiefs Can Do about Gun Violence … and Restoring Public Trust PERF members, Events on the ground always overshadow those that are pre-planned. And so it was this week ...
Trending26Mar22
In the debate over college for cops, maybe it’s time to rethink what success and potential look like Dear PERF Members, When I worked as an intern in the Boston Police Department in the 1970s, ...
Trending19Mar22
March 19, 2022 Addressing violence while building trust Dear PERF Members, All across America, police chiefs are at a turning point. COVID-19 case counts are diminishing, at least for now, but ...
Trending15Jan22
January 15, 2022 Why are police chiefs and DAs feuding in some cities? Dear PERF members, In every city I have ever worked with on crime reduction strategies, the relationship between prosecutors ...
Trending8Jan22
January 8, 2022 Issues to Watch in 2022 Dear PERF member, Happy New Year to all. I think most would agree that 2020 and 2021 were two of the most challenging years in our lifetimes, so we’re ...
Trending6Nov21
November 6, 2021 Is It Time to Rethink Traffic Stops? Dear PERF members, If I were a new police chief coming into a department, one of the first things I might do is call the command staff into ...
Trending7Aug21
August 7, 2021 What can we do to prevent police officer suicides? Dear PERF member, It hits every police chief or sheriff like a gut punch – the news that an officer in their department died ...
Trending31Jul21
July 31, 2021 Policing and COVID – It’s time to change strategy Dear PERF member, We are at a critical inflection point in our country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. PERF has been closely ...
Trending5Jun21
June 5, 2021 How Can We Get Cops to Stop Shooting at Vehicles? Dear PERF members, I had never been to the morgue before. But in July 1980, then-Boston Police Commissioner Joseph Jordan asked ...
Trending8May21
May 8, 2021 The Challenge of Body-Worn Camera Video: Release Now or Wait Until Later? Dear PERF members, “A police department that deploys body-worn cameras is making a statement that it ...
Trending27Feb21
Feburary 27, 2021 The Unsung Heroes of Policing Dear PERF members, They are often the unsung heroes of modern-day police agencies. People who walk the halls of law enforcement practically unnoticed ...
Trending13Feb21
February 13, 2021 On the Difficult Issue of Race, Three Police Leaders Reflect on their Early Experiences, Navigating Their Careers, and Lessons for Others Dear PERF members, As our nation celebrates ...
CriticalIssues5Feb21
... not available, but many cities and states report that these trends have continued since May. PERF spoke with local and federal law enforcement officials in two cities – New York City and San Francisco ...
CriticalIssues2Feb21
PERF’s Daily Clips recently featured a Philadelphia Inquirer article about a recent study of the Philadelphia Police Department’s “scoop and run” policy, which instructs officers to transport some shooting ...
Trending23Jan21
January 23, 2021 Heeding the Call for Unity Dear PERF members, If you had a chance to hear President Biden’s Inaugural Address on Wednesday, you no doubt picked up on the overarching ...
CriticalIssuesJan421
... change. For today’s report, PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler spoke with Gabe Rodriguez, who was sworn in Friday as chief of the Camden County, NJ Police Department (see photo). Chief Rodriguez ...
CriticalIssuesDec31
Today’s Daily Critical Issues report summarizes PERF’s activities in 2020, and our plans for 2021. In many ways, 2020 was a year that no one will ever forget. In February, COVID-19 began to change the ...
TrendingDec12
Dear PERF members, Earlier this week, George Gascón was sworn in as district attorney of Los Angeles County. He now leads the largest prosecutor’s office in the country. The platform he ran on would ...
CriticalIssuesNov12
... I’m up to any challenge. The PERF Critical Issues Report is part of the Critical Issues in Policing project, supported by the Motorola Solutions Foundation. PERF also is grateful to the ...
TrendingNov7
November 7, 2020 Alarming news of roving criminal gangs in Oakland Dear PERF members, This week I received a startling email from Susan Manheimer, who’s serving as Interim Chief of Police in ...
CriticalIssuesNov5
Last week, Jakari Young was named the next chief of the Daytona Beach Police Department. He will be sworn in tomorrow. He spoke with PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler about his path to becoming chief, ...
TrendingOct31
October 31, 2020 PERF Trending: ICAT Is Looking Like a Game-Changer Good morning, What a week it’s been. COVID is surging in most states, everyone is bracing for possible disruptions during the election ...
TrendingOct10
October 10, 2020 Unintended Consequences of Civilian Oversight of the Police Dear PERF members, This morning, I’d like to talk about something that is getting lost in the discussions across ...
CriticalIssuesOct6
Following up on an earlier Daily Critical Issues Report about the upcoming election, PERF spoke with police executives from four cities in states where election results are expected to be close: Las Vegas, ...
TrendingSep19
September 19, 2020 Police Executives Need to Monday-Morning Quarterback Themselves Too Dear PERF members, As we continue to underscore the importance of Monday-morning quarterbacking, we need ...
CriticalIssuesAugust24
... 10 years. Since 2017 he has served as the sheriff of Volusia County, Florida. PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler spoke with Sheriff Chitwood about his career, reducing use of force, and his recent ...
TrendingAugust8
August 8, 2020 We’re in a Hypercharged Political Environment Dear PERF members, Most police chiefs have plenty of experience, knowledge, and guidance ...
CriticalIssuesJuly29
... and other services. These programs align with the best practices for sheriffs and chiefs outlined in PERF’s 2017 report, The Unprecedented Opioid Epidemic: As Overdoses Become a Leading Cause of Death, ...
CriticalIssuesJuly10
July 10, 2020 For today’s Critical Issues Report, PERF spoke with police executives from three agencies that have seen increases in homicides and other ...
COVIDJune19
June 19, 2020 For today’s COVID-19 Report, we asked the members of PERF’s Research Advisory Board to share their thoughts on several questions: 1. What ...
CriticalIssuesJune15
June 15, 2020 In today’s Critical Issues Report, PERF addresses a use-of-force concept that has been getting some attention recently as a possible reform ...
Announcements
Upcoming Events
October 8-9: ICAT Train-the-Trainer in Decatur, Illinois (session full)
October 20, 1:00-5:00 p.m.: PERF Town Hall in Boston
November 5-6: ICAT Train-the-Trainer in Decatur, Illinois (session full)
December 10-11: ICAT Train-the-Trainer in Decatur, Illinois
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