Charles H. Ramsey

Charles H. Ramsey was appointed Police Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department on January 7, 2008, by Mayor Michael A. Nutter. He retired in January 2016 after serving eight years as Commissioner and leading the fourth largest police department in the nation with over 6,600 sworn members and 830 civilian members.

Commissioner Ramsey has been at the forefront of developing innovative policing strategies and leading organizational change for the past 35 years. He brings over 50 years of knowledge, experience and service in advancing the law enforcement profession in three different major city police departments, beginning with Chicago, then Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. He is an internationally recognized practitioner and educator in his field and is a Past President of both the Police Executive Research Forum and the Major Cities Chiefs Association. He is the only law enforcement professional to have served as President of both prominent organizations at the same time and to receive the Leadership Award from three major law enforcement organizations; the FBI National Executive Institute, Police Executive Research Forum, and the Major Cities Chiefs Association. In December 2014, following several high-profile incidents involving police use of force, President Barack Obama chose Commissioner Ramsey to serve as co-chair of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. He is currently a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law, an advisor to the U.S. Conference of Mayors and is a Founding Partner in the consulting firm 21st Century Policing Solutions, LLC.

Commissioner Ramsey served as the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, District of Columbia (MPDC), from April 21, 1998, to January 1, 2007. During his tenure he oversaw and participated in numerous high-profile investigations and events in Washington DC, including the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001 Anthrax Attacks, 2002 DC Sniper Investigation and the 2001 and 2005 Presidential Inaugurations.

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, the FBI National Executive Institute and the Executive Leadership Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security. In December 2015, the Philadelphia Police Department Training Academy Auditorium was named in his honor, and The United States Congress approved a U.S. Postage Stamp bearing his likeness.