Police Executive Research Forum

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

PERF general members lead larger police agencies in the United States and around the world; their jurisdictions are often the seedbeds of the toughest problems and hardest-won solutions in policing. They collectively serve a majority of the U.S. population. To become a general member, one must be the executive head of a municipal, county or state-funded agency that provides general police services. The agency must have at least 100 full-time employees, or serve a population of 50,000 or more. Applicants must also have at least a bachelor's degree. There are other membership categories for interested persons who do not meet these qualifications.

Incorporated in 1977, PERF's primary sources of operating revenues are government grants and contracts, and partnerships with private foundations and other organizations. PERF's research and publications are targeted in areas its members find important to their agencies and for professional development. Its conferences and training programs are targeted to audiences who want to be on the cutting edge of relevant policing topics.

PERF has recently been in the news for reporting that violent crime rose by double-digit percentages in cities across the country over the last two years.^[1]. This claim appears to be controversial^[2].