Raleigh announces finalists for city’s next police chief
The city of Raleigh released the names of the top three finalists for police chief on Wednesday.
The list came out a day before a virtual community forum Thursday evening, during which the public can hear from the three candidates who want to succeed outgoing Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown.
Deck-Brown announced her retirement in late 2020 after a summer of George Floyd protests and criticism over how the Raleigh Police Department handled those protests. Her last day is June 30.
Thirty-one people applied to lead the department of more than 900 employees. Here are the finalists.
Robert Lowe
Current job: Deputy Superintendent for the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Police Department
Biography: A Cambridge native, Lowe joined the police department in 2001 and is the commanding officer for a new “Family and Social Justice Section, which was established to provide specific services to those better served through a social justice approach than conventional criminal justice approaches, according to the department’s website.
Lowe is a licensed attorney and a doctoral student at New York University focusing on implicit bias in policing, according to the city’s news release. He has a Juris Doctor from the Massachusetts School of Law and an undergraduate degree in law enforcement from Western New England University. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Darryl McSwain
Current job: Chief of police for the Maryland-National Capital Park Police - Montgomery County Division.
Biography: McSwain was appointed to his current position in 2018 and is in charge of a police department that oversees the park system of Montgomery County. Before that, he served 30-years with the Montgomery County Police Department before retiring as assistant chief, according to the police department’s website. He was recently inducted into the county’s Human Rights Hall of Fame, according to a news release.
He has a master’s degree in administrative management from Bowie State University and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Maryland.
Estella Patterson
Current job: Deputy Chief for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Biography: Patterson has served in her current role since 2019, but joined the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in 1996, according to the department’s website. Before her current role, she served as a police major, Internal Affairs commander, recruitment director, division commander and patrol officer, according to the city’s news release.
She has a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor’s degree in political science from UNC Charlotte She also served as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves.
Thursday police forum
What: Gary Peterson, of Public Sector Search & Consulting, will moderate a virtual forum with the three police chief finalists.
When: 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 10
Where: People will be able to watch online on the city’s website (www.raleighnc.gov) or on the city’s YouTube page (www.youtube.com/cityofraleigh). People can watch on their television on RTN TV11.
Community members were able to submit questions for the police finalists.
This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 4:59 PM.
