Raleigh Names Perlov As New Police Chief

RALEIGH — Jane Perlov, one of four finalists for the position of Raleigh police chief, was officially introduced as the city's new top cop Wednesday morning.

Perlov becomes Raleigh's newest police chief and the first woman to hold the post when she takes over the job on Sept. 17.

Perlov told a crowd gathered at City Hall that it is a dream come true, and that being an officer is part of what she is, and that is why she is returning to police work.

The new chief spent 17 years in a New York City police uniform and was a popular choice among rank-and-file Raleigh police officers.

Perlov says she is looking forward to meeting the Raleigh residents she will serve.

"I want to hear from the people who live there and work there -- what it is they think they would like the police to do," she says. "Oftentimes, police go into a community and we tell a community what we think needs to be done there. I think it's important to hear from the community what their priorities are and what can be done to solve the problem."

Perlov says she is interested in building coalitions among the police and various segments of the community. She also says Raleigh will be the place where she ends her career as long as the city will have her.

The current secretary of public safety for the state of Massachusetts brings an impressive resume to the capital city.

Perlov graduated from the New York Police Academy 20 years ago and was a patrol officer until 1985. Over the next 13 years, she moved up in the ranks of the New York City police department to sergeant, lieutenant, captain and finally deputy chief of detectives.

Perlov graduated from Columbia University's Police Management Institute.

Other candidates considered were John Knox, Raleigh's interim police chief, Sonya Proctor of the Maryland Department of Crime Control and Public Safety and Scott Cunningham, a veteran of the Tampa, Fla. Police Department.