Raleigh City Manager Russell Allen had three finalists for the job of chief of police, and in the end he stayed close to home, choosing Cassandra Deck-Brown, who joined the force in 1987 and has moved up steadily. Deck-Brown comes to the post having worked in several areas of the department, which ought to build confidence in her from the ranks. She understands what different divisions of the department do, and what they need in terms of resources because she’s been there.

Deck-Brown has been a patrol officer and a detective, and she has worked in crime prevention. She has an undergraduate degree from East Carolina University and a master’s in public administration from N.C. State.

The case for staying within the department was particularly strong here, mostly because Deck-Brown was a good contender, but also because the department, after five years under retired Chief Harry Dolan, is in good shape with some of Dolan’s ideas in place, including community policing.

When things are going well and there are good candidates for a successor in the department, there’s little reason to look outside. That was the case in 1994, when Mitchell Brown, an inside candidate, was named chief. He’s Deck-Brown’s brother-in-law.