For Immediate Release
DHS Press Office
Contact: 202-282-8010
I congratulate Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey on his retirement after 46 years of public service. His nearly half century on the beat has made our cities – and our homeland – safer.
Commissioner Ramsey joined the force in Chicago and, as so many good cops do, he rose through the ranks, from a patrol officer to Deputy Superintendent. He moved on to Washington, D.C., to serve as Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, overseeing a 40 percent decrease in crime in our nation’s capital. And as Philadelphia’s Police Commissioner, he has led the fourth-largest police department in the Nation.
Commissioner Ramsey’s legacy extends well beyond the cities he has served, benefiting the entire country. He has been a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, a co-chair of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, a president of the Police Executive Research Forum, and a president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. He headed a group of law enforcement professionals to review the state of Iraqi police forces for a report to Congress, an effort that garnered international praise. He has worked with the Department of Homeland Security for the state funerals of President Ford and President Reagan, and both the 2001 and 2005 Presidential Inaugurations.
Most recently, he led the Philadelphia Police Department’s preparations for the Pope’s historic visit to the United States – a huge undertaking that set a standard of professionalism for the future. Mayor Nutter and Commissioner Ramsey’s partnership brought about a safe and successful visit to the United States by the Pope in a highly professional, precise and well-coordinated manner.
I am honored to have worked closely with Commissioner Ramsey. He is a true friend of the Department of Homeland Security and an extraordinary example of a dedicated public servant who has spent most of his life protecting Americans from harm. I wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement. And I assure him that he will be missed.
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