New Raleigh police chief vows to help officers, bring city together

Patterson, who spent the last week meeting with Raleigh police officers, succeeds Cassandra Deck-Brown, who retired on June 30.

On Thursday, she shared with a crowd at the Duke Energy Center her top three priorities in the new role -- strengthening police and community trust, reducing violent crime and assessing internal structures and moral within the Raleigh Police Department.

Patterson promised to invest in the men and women of the department, acknowledging them directly along with the current challenges police officers face.

The new chief also said she has been in touch with the department's psychologist and is committed to helping officers thrive.

"I want you to hear me that I'm deeply concerned about your health and wellness," Patterson said. "I know that vicarious trauma is real in this line of work. We see and experience things every day that cannot simply be dismissed as a routine call for service. It is my priority to make sure that I make investments in you and for you."

Patterson comes from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, where she worked since 1996 and became one of the department's four deputy chiefs in 2019.

Patterson also thanked her Charlotte pastor, who traveled to Raleigh for the ceremony, her mother and "best friend," and her husband, Lance Patterson, who is the Charlotte Fire Battalion chief. Her husband pinned her badge on her just before she took the oath of office

"I love you and I appreciate you and I thank you for being my biggest supporter, Dallas Cowboys fan and all," she said. "Thank you for the sacrifices that you have made."

Patterson also thanked her predecessor, Deck-Brown, calling her "a woman of great composure."

Finally, she called on the city to come together to improve the current climate.

"It is important in this unique and challenging time in the world of policing that we recognize that our successes and our failures for this city and community are collective," she said. "No fingers can be pointed at a single entity when there is an unfavorable incident in our community, nor can one group received the accolades. As your chief, I vow to remove any barriers that prevent us from standing together in unity to make this great city greater."