Yahoo Finance Raleigh picks veteran Charlotte police leader to be city’s next chief
Estella Patterson, deputy chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, was named Raleigh’s next police chief Thursday.
Patterson, who will be the the city’s 30th chief, understands the issues police departments are facing across the country during a new era of policing, Raleigh City Manager Marchell Adams-David said in a news release.
“Now more than ever, leadership matters, community connections matter, and I believe Estella Patterson is the right person for the job,” she said.
Patterson’s annual salary will start at $205,000.
Outgoing Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown announced her retirement in late 2020 after 33 years with the Raleigh Police Department. Her last day will be June 30. Deputy Chief Todd Jordan will serve as interim chief until Patterson’s first day on Aug. 1.
“I am looking forward to strengthening the relationships with citizens and residents in the community and advancing 21st century policing ideals to make Raleigh the safest city in America,” Patterson said in the release. “I am thankful to all for their trust and confidence in me.”
Thirty-one people applied for the chief’s job.
Patterson, who has worked for the Charlotte department for 25 years, was one of three finalists to participate in a forum last week. The others were Robert Lowe, deputy superintendent of the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Police Department and Darryl McSwain, police chief for the Maryland-National Capital Park Police-Montgomery County Division
Transparency, accountability and integrity build trust with the community, Patterson said during the forum.
“I am a person who holds myself to the highest standards,” she said. “In doing that, I will ensure those under me will do the same. In building trust and legitimacy with the community, you have to be connected.”
Rick Armstrong, spokesperson for the Raleigh Police Protective Association, congratulated Patterson and said he believes she’ll do a good job.
She expressed support for the rank and file officers, he said, adding addressing morale within the department will be one of her biggest challenges.
Patterson has a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Oklahoma and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. She also served as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves.
Patterson is also the current president of the Greater Charlotte Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and an executive board member of the N.C. Police Executives Association.
2017 incident
Patterson’s former boss defended her recently after WRAL did a report on Patterson’s handling of an excessive force accusation in 2017.
In 2017, when Patterson was the head of Charlotte’s Internal Affairs Bureau, she defended four Charlotte officers who punched, elbowed and threatened an unarmed suspect during an arrest, WBTV reported then.
The incident followed police stopping a car sought for its connection to larcenies and a foot chase after a passenger in the car ran.
Officers caught up with the man, who said police used excessive force in the minutes long struggle to handcuff the man.
During the struggle, one officer pressed a gun to the man’s head and threatened him, the television station, which obtained video and an internal report, reported.
An internal affairs investigation found the officers had not used excessive force.
“When you look completely at the totality of the circumstances, you have to ask yourself ‘was that reasonable in that situation?’ and, based on everything, it was reasonable, Patterson said of the incident, the television station reported.
Then Charlotte police chief Police Chief Kerr Putney said after the report that he wouldn’t defend the officers’ language and tactics, especially the officer who put a gun to the man’s head and threatened him, the station reported.
Putney told WRAL recently that Patterson did further investigate the incident and that officer was suspended for unbecoming conduct and later left the department.
“Truly, she did exactly what I want these emerging chiefs who are in difficult positions to hold their officers accountable to do,” Putney said.
This story will be updated.
