Durham police chief Patrice Andrews retiring to cap 25-year run

The Durham Police Department announced Thursday that police chief Patrice Andrews will retire this year.

In a press release, the department said after a combined 25 years of service, Andrews will retire May 1, 2026, after serving as police chief for a little over five years. The release did not list her replacement yet.

It's unclear the circumstances that prompted her retirement. 

“The City of Durham is deeply grateful for Chief Patrice Andrews’ 25 years of dedicated public service to our community," said City Manager Bo Ferguson. "Her leadership has advanced the Police Department’s mission to work with our community to minimize crime, promote safety and enhance quality of life, as well as its vision of being a progressive, trusted partner for positive change."

Andrews began her career with the department in May 1997, serving in various roles until June 2016, when she became the Chief of Police for Morrisville. 

In November 2021, she returned to Durham to lead the police department. 

During a meeting on Thursday, Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams celebrated Andrews for her service.

"We can say in Durham that we have a chief who's compassionate, someone whose heart literally beats in the streets of Durham," Williams said. "We have a standard - a standard - of what to expect in the next chief."

The news about Andrews's retirement comes four months after she was under scrutiny for a now-deleted post she made on her personal Facebook page about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. 

Days after that story came to light, Andrews faced both support and backlash from her community, even having been sent a threatening letter and a suspicious substance to her office.