Nick Perna is a retired Investigations Lieutenant with the Redwood City Police Department in Northern California. He has served as a Detective and a Supervisor for his department’s Street Crime Suppression Team and Gang Suppression Team. His final assignment was as the Commander of his department’s Investigations Division.
He has worked with numerous task forces with local, State and Federal officers targeting gang members, drug dealers, pimps and high-risk felons. He has testified multiple times in court as an expert in gang, drug sales and illegal firearms cases. He has been an entry team leader, sniper team leader and tactical commander for a multi-jurisdictional SWAT Team.
He has had articles published in Police1, SWAT, Soldier of Fortune, Guns and Weapons for Law Enforcement, California Narcotics Officers magazine, California Association of Tactical Officers magazine, Havok Journal, The Counter Terrorist, Breach Bang Clear, and Recoil online. He is a regular contributor to American Shooting Journal, an online firearms and hunting magazine, there, he has a monthly column entitled, “Law Enforcement Spotlight,” where he highlights the actions of sworn professionals.
Nick is also the author of “The Street Crimes Handbook, 2nd edition,” aa basic primer on how to do successful gang, drug, firearms and human trafficking investigations. Nick has a Master’s Degree from the University Of San Francisco. Prior to entering law enforcement, he served as a Platoon Leader and Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He is a combat Veteran who served in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
