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Raleigh picks Charlotte deputy chief as its next police chief

City officials on Thursday named Estella Patterson, deputy chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, as Raleigh's next police chief.

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By
Keely Arthur
, WRAL reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — City officials on Thursday named Estella Patterson, deputy chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, as Raleigh's next police chief.

Patterson succeeds Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown, who will retire on June 30. Deputy Chief Todd Jordan will serve as interim chief in July, and Patterson will start her new job on Aug. 1.

"I am honored at the opportunity to lead the fine men and women of the Raleigh Police Department," Patterson said in a statement. "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. I am thankful to all for their trust and confidence in me."

Patterson has worked for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department since 1996, working her way up the ranks to become one of the department's four deputy chiefs in 2019.

"She understands North Carolina, having worked in Charlotte," Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said. "I think another advantage is that she's already certified here to be a police officer, so she can just hit the ground running."

Patterson has "a history of unifying people," Baldwin said, noting that she deftly navigated relations between Charlotte residents and police during sometimes violent racial justice protests last year,

"I really appreciate her history and advocacy on behalf of community policing. That was a major checkpoint for me," she said. "I really believe that community policing can make a difference. If you know somebody's name, and they know the officer, it's a totally different dynamic, and we've gotten away from that. We need to go back."

"If you come with that attitude that she has demonstrated in Charlotte – community, community, community – you're going to win people over," the mayor added.

Footage from a body-worn camera obtained by WBTV in Charlotte shows officers arresting James Yarborough in 2017, and an officer identified as Jon Dunham can be heard threatening him.

Yarborough filed an excessive force complaint against Dunham, who pressed a gun to Yarborough’s head during the incident.

"When you look completely at the totality of the circumstances, you have to ask yourself, is that reasonable? And based on everything, it was reasonable," Patterson, who then headed the department's Internal Affairs Bureau, told WBTV when asked about the bodycam footage.

Putney told WRAL News this week that, while Patterson said Dunham's behavior was reasonable in a legal context, she did further investigate him for "unbecoming" conduct, leading to a suspension.

"Truly, she did exactly what I want these emerging chiefs who are in difficult positions to hold their officers accountable to do," Putney said.

Still, the incident concerns long-time Raleigh police reform advocates like Kerwin Pittman.

"I honestly would’ve like to have seen other choices," Pittman said Thursday after Patterson's selection was announced.

He was quick to add, however, that he liked what he heard from Patterson at a public forum with the three finalists for chief last week.

"We will see if her actions, moving forward, will match what she said at the forum," he said.

The other two candidates for Raleigh police chief were Rob Lowe, deputy superintendent of the Cambridge (Mass.) Police Department, and Darryl McSwain, chief of police for the Maryland-National Capital Park Police.

Patterson earned a master's degree in criminal justice from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She also is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

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