 During his year in office, Perkins joined the New York City Police Department in their campaign against the New York underworld.As well as obtaining a record number of convictions of major gang leaders, he also headed prosecutions against labor racketeers involved in the first "Labor Slugger War".He was nominated for re-election by the New York Republicans over Frank Moss but lost the election to Judge Edward Swann in November 1915, and resumed his private practice at the beginning of 1916.