Chuck Wexler is Executive Director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a research organization of law enforcement officials and others dedicated to improving the professionalism of policing. PERF is the leading American “think tank” that police chiefs go to for guidance on the difficult emerging issues they are facing. 

In recent years, Wexler and PERF have focused on police reforms, especially strategies for de-escalating incidents to reduce the use of force by officers. Working with police chiefs and other experts, PERF produced a set of 30 guiding principles on use of force, based on the concept of the sanctity of human life. Next, PERF produced a training program to implement the guiding principles, known as ICAT: Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics. ICAT has been implemented in many police agencies nationwide, and the New Jersey Attorney General recently mandated that all 38,000 police officers in the state complete ICAT training in 2021. 

PERF also has conducted extensive work for more than a decade on strategies for reducing violent crime and homicides. In recent months, PERF detected increases in violence in many cities, conducted a survey that verified that trend, and produced a series of reports about how police agencies are responding to violent crime, including carjackings. 

In 2020, Wexler focused on the police response to the COVID-19, producing a series of more than 100 reports on every aspect of how the pandemic has changed police operations. PERF also produced 100 daily reports on other issues in policing, including the demonstrations across the nation following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 

In recent years, PERF also has identified best practices for reducing police use of force in interactions with suicidal or mentally ill persons, reducing fatal drug overdoses in the opioid epidemic, developing humane approaches to homelessness, and other issues. 

A native of Boston, Wexler held a number of key positions in the Boston Police Department. Prior to joining PERF, Wexler worked as an assistant to the nation’s first Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Wexler has a bachelor's degree from Boston University, a master’s degree in criminology from Florida State University and a Ph.D. in urban studies and planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

In February 2006, Wexler was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his extensive work with British and American police agencies. 

In 2016, Politico Magazine named Wexler one of the “Politico 50,” which the magazine describes as its “guide to the thinkers, doers, and visionaries transforming American politics.” 

In 2021, Wexler was chosen as one of Washingtonian magazine’s “250 Most Influential People.”