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Charles Ramsey

  • Charles Ramsey, Distinguished Policy Fellow

Charles H. Ramsey was Police Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department from 2008 to 2016. Commissioner Ramsey brings over fifty years of knowledge, experience, and service in advancing the law enforcement profession in three different major city police departments, beginning with Chicago, then Washington, DC, and then Philadelphia. 
 
Commissioner Ramsey has been at the forefront of developing innovative policing strategies and leading organizational change for the past 25 years. He is an internationally recognized practitioner and educator in his field and is the Immediate Past President of both the Police Executive Research Forum and the Major Cities Chiefs Association. In December 2014, following several high-profile incidents involving police use of force, President Barrack Obama chose Commissioner Ramsey to serve as co-chair of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. In recognition for his contributions to the field of policing and public safety, he has been awarded Honorary Doctorate Degrees from four universities and served as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Drexel Universities Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation. In January 2017, Commissioner Ramsey became a law enforcement analyst for Turner Broadcasting news outlet, CNN. He was also appointed by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf to serve as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and Chairman of the PA School Safety Committee. He currently serves as the Principal Deputy Monitor overseeing Federal Consent Decrees in Baltimore and Cleveland and is a Founding Partner in the consulting firm 21st Century Policing Solutions, LLC. 

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Commissioner Ramsey served in the Chicago Police Department for nearly three decades in a variety of assignments. During his career in Chicago, he received numerous awards including twelve Department Commendations and more than 100 Honorable Mentions for excellence in police work. 

Commissioner Ramsey holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in criminal justice from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the National Executive Institute. He completed the Executive Leadership Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security in February 2008