Police Executive Research Forum

"PERF" redirects here. For other uses, see PERF (disambiguation).
Police Executive Research Forum
Location
Websitewww.policeforum.org

The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) is a national membership organization of police executives primarily from the largest city, county and state law enforcement agencies in the United States. The organization is dedicated to improving policing and advancing professionalism through research and involvement in public policy debate.[1] Since its founding in 1976 with support and funding from the Police Foundation,[2] it has fostered debate, research and an openness to challenging traditional police practices. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

PERF members must have completed a 4-year college degree program.

Established in 1976, PERF's primary sources of operating revenues are tuition payments for educational programs, grants from private and nonprofit organizations, membership dues, and government contracts.

Since 2014, PERF has focused on developing policies and training programs to minimize police use of lethal force, particularly in situations involving persons with mental illness, developmental disabilities, drug addictions, or other conditions that can cause them to behave erratically or dangerously, and in situations where the subject does not have a firearm.[3][4][5][6][7]

PERF also has released a series of reports describing and advocating the increasing role of local law enforcement agencies in addressing the opioid epidemic, by actively helping addicted persons to get treatment and other services, while saving lives by providing naloxone to officers so they can help prevent fatal overdoses.[8][9]

PERF also has reported on police leaders’ approach to immigration issues[10] and has researched police programs to welcome refugees to American communities.[11][12] Another area of focus has been reducing gender bias in the police response to sexual assault and domestic violence and expanding the FBI’s definition of rape to more accurately report levels of crime.[13][14][15]

Since 2013, PERF also has issued reports on building trust between police and community members; reducing gun violence; advancing Constitutional policing; recommendations on body-worn camera programs; changes in marijuana laws; the role of local police in preventing cybercrime; the police response to active shooter incidents; legitimacy and procedural justice in policing; social media in policing; and civil rights investigations of local police agencies.[16]

In 2007, PERF made news by reporting that violent crime had risen by double-digit percentages in cities across the country between 2005 and 2007.[17] This claim was disputed at the time [18] but the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics show an increase in violent crime in 2005-2006 amid an otherwise consistent decrease between 1994 and 2009.[19]

PERF organized conference calls with city police chiefs to discuss their response to the Occupy Wall Street movement during the Fall of 2011.[20]

  1. ^ "PERF in the News". Police Executive Research Forum.
  2. ^ "History". National Police Foundation. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  3. ^ Baker, Al (2016). "Police Leaders Unveil Principles Intended to Shift Policing Practices Nationwide". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  4. ^ Lowery, Wesley (2016-01-29). "Police chiefs consider dramatic reforms to officer tactics, training to prevent so many shootings". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  5. ^ Board, The Times Editorial (16 February 2016). "Police officers should help write, not shun, new use-of-force standards". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  6. ^ Wexler, Chuck (2018-01-19). "Perspective | What it will take to reduce deadly shootings by police". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  7. ^ Jackman, Tom (2016-03-31). "Fairfax police demonstrate new training based on PERF 'de-escalation' principles". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  8. ^ Baker, Al (2017-06-12). "When Opioid Addicts Find an Ally in Blue". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  9. ^ "The Unprecedented Opioid Epidemic: As Overdoses Become a Leading Cause of Death, Police, Sheriffs, and Health Agencies Must Step Up Their Response" (PDF). Police Executive Research Forum. September 2017.
  10. ^ Wexler, Chuck (6 March 2017). "Police chiefs across the country support sanctuary cities because they keep crime down". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  11. ^ Jackman, Tom (2016-09-22). "Police devise strategies to embrace growing refugee populations". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  12. ^ "Refugee Outreach and Engagement Programs for Police Agencies" (PDF). Police Executive Research Forum. May 2017.
  13. ^ "Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias in Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence" (PDF). Police Executive Research Forum and the DOJ Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. 2016.
  14. ^ "Improving the Police Response to Sexual Assault" (PDF). Police Executive Research Forum. 2012.
  15. ^ Goode, Erica (2011-09-28). "Federal Definition of Rape Criticized". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  16. ^ "Free Online Documents". Policeforum.org. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  17. ^ Zernike, Kate (9 Mar 2007). "Violent Crime in Cities Shows Sharp Surge, Reversing Trend". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
  18. ^ "The Crime-Statistics Con Job". Fox News. 26 Mar 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  19. ^ "Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics". Ucrdatatool.gov. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  20. ^ Britton, Khadijah (26 November 2011). "A PERF-ect Storm". Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 27 June 2016.