After more than three years leading the Raleigh Police Department and a combined 30 years of public service, Chief Estella Patterson will retire March 1, 2025.
Patterson became Raleigh’s 30th police chief on August 1, 2021.
“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,” Raleigh City Manager Marchell Adams-David said. “These efforts have made our city safer and the Raleigh Police Department more resilient and community focused.”
Under her leadership, Chief Patterson worked with other NC police chiefs to introduce legislation for civilian crash investigators. Additionally, she implemented the Greenway Unit and leveraged technology to develop the Raleigh Intelligence Center into a Real Time Crime Center.
During her tenure, Raleigh was selected as a Public Safety Partnership City, a national designation which brings a wealth of resources and technical assistance for crime prevention. As a result of these and other efforts through the Violent Crime Action Plan, 100% of homicide cases year-to-date have been solved. Patterson served with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for 25 years prior to coming to Raleigh and in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1996-2005.
“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. “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 of Raleigh is designing a search process for its next top law enforcement official.
