Raleigh’s police chief is retiring after 3 years. Here’s when she’ll close out her tenure
After more than three years in office, Raleigh’s 30th police chief is retiring, the city announced Thursday.
Chief Estella Patterson will retire March 1, according to a news release. Patterson took office Aug. 1, 2021, replacing former Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown.
Before she came to Raleigh, Patterson served as deputy chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and had spent more than 25 years with that department, The News & Observer previously reported. She also served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1996 to 2005, the release said.
“It has been my honor to lead such a dedicated and talented team of men and women, and to engage with a community that welcomed me and worked side by side with RPD to address crime and quality of life concerns,” Patterson said in the release. “My goal has always been to reduce violence and to establish Raleigh as a leader in public safety best practices. We have accomplished this, and I believe we have a strong foundation for future successes.”
The city manager’s office is designing a search process for a new chief and will release more details at a later date, a city spokesperson said Thursday.
Estella Patterson’s time as Raleigh Chief of Police
City Manager Marchell Adams-David praised Patterson’s accomplishments in her time with the department.
“During her tenure, Chief Patterson worked diligently to reduce violent crime, address staffing vacancies, advance technology as a force multiplier in crime management, and build meaningful partnerships on the local, state and federal levels,” Adams-David said in the release.
Patterson has faced a number of challenges in her time as police chief, including the October 2022 mass shooting in Raleigh’s Hedingham neighborhood and calls for a 15% increase in police salaries amid growing vacancies. But overall crime in Raleigh has also fallen during her tenure, despite a recent spike in homicides, and the department had a 100% clearance rate for homicides as of Thursday, according to the release.
The U.S. Department of Justice selected the Raleigh Police Department in February as one of five departments nationwide to participate in its National Safety Partnership, a three-year program aimed at reducing crime in the city.
In addition to her duties as police chief, Patterson is a commissioner for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and on the N.C. Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission, according to her biography on the city’s website.
‘We thank Chief Patterson’
Peter Scott, president of Citizens for a Safe & Secure Raleigh, a nonprofit aimed at reducing crime and supporting police in the city, thanked Patterson for her service in a statement shared with The N&O.
“We are deeply grateful to Chief Patterson for guiding Raleigh’s Police Department ably and with great integrity through challenging times,” Scott said. “The recent City Council elections sent a resounding message that citizens in every neighborhood and business district across Raleigh expect their council to support our law enforcement professionals, to back other first responders, and to boost our lagging investments in public safety.
“Chief Patterson has laid the foundation to make this possible,” he continued. “On behalf of everyone in Raleigh, we thank Chief Patterson for her outstanding service to our city and wish her the very best.”
In a statement, Brenda Gibson, the chair of the Raleigh Police Foundation, said Patterson “pioneered community policing and created robust youth recreational programs in our city.”
“The Raleigh Police Department Foundation would not exist without her energy and encouragement,” Gibson said. “In a little over two years, we have raised over $4.5 million to provide the margin of excellence our police force deserves.”
The Foundation was funded in 2022 by local business and civic leaders to help strengthen the police department’s services, according to their website. The non-profit‘s funds support new technology, education and programs for officers and the city’s community.
Gibson said a major part of Patterson’s legacy in Raleigh “will be her support of the Foundation’s work.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 2:26 PM.
