By: Jordan Meadows, Staff Writer
Chief Estella D. Patterson, the 30th police chief of Raleigh, is retiring on March 1st, marking the end of an impactful three-year tenure at the helm of the Raleigh Police Department (RPD). Patterson has served in law enforcement for nearly 30 years, including 25 years with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department before heading Raleigh’s in 2021.
“It’s bittersweet. I love Raleigh. We’ve done a lot here at this police department, so I’m definitely going to miss the people and what we’ve been able to do,” Patterson said. “I’m certainly going to miss the community who have overwhelmingly supported me, been here for me, and have shown such love. It’s hard to walk away from that.”
Patterson believes Raleigh is like a smaller version of Charlotte, reflecting what the city was 10 to 15 years ago due to its rapid growth and development. When she first moved, she noticed the pace was slower compared to Charlotte, but that it was catching up fast.
“We have seen the growth of this community. We have seen the minority population grow, our communities grow here — and that’s a great thing. That’s wonderful,” Patterson said. “Coming here being the Chief, it’s important to me that our police department is reflective of the community it serves. It should look, sound, and be an extension of the community.”
Her focus as Raleigh’s Chief of Police was on reducing violent crime, improving community-police relations, addressing staffing shortages, and advancing the use of technology within the department. Patterson highlighted Coffee with a Cop, an annual program that brings police officers and the community members they serve together–over coffee–to discuss issues and learn more about each other in October. She also mentioned the Faith in Blue initiative, which involves collaboration between law enforcement and faith-based communities.
One of her most notable achievements was the development of the Raleigh Intelligence Center into a Real-Time Crime Center, significantly enhancing the department’s ability to respond swiftly to criminal activity and improve overall crime management.
“I feel like you have to connect with a community to be successful as a police department. And if you don’t, you start to wane, you lose trust and your legitimacy starts to fail,” Patterson said.
In 2022, Raleigh became a Public Safety Partnership City, a national designation that brought federal resources and technical assistance to further support crime prevention efforts. Patterson’s work in this area, alongside a comprehensive Violent Crime Action Plan, played an important role in the department’s ability to resolve 100 percent of homicide cases in 2024—a remarkable accomplishment when compared to the national average clearance rate of about 50 percent.
Other strategies utilized by RPD include partnering with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute repeat violent offenders. Patterson shared that last year, they dismantled a major crime ring in the city, though some indictments are still pending.
“Looking at our crime stats and our crime numbers every single week, twice a week, I’m sitting down with my leaders and we’re talking about crime. ‘What happened in the last 48 hours? Where are we seeing crime pop up?’ and we move resources to those places, being very proactive in the approach,” Patterson said.
Another thing Patterson took control of was the department’s staggering 150 vacancies. However, through strategic recruitment and targeted efforts, the number of vacancies has been reduced to just 50.
Patterson said that RPD made an intentional decision not to run recruit classes with fewer than 50 candidates. She praised her team for their dedication in actively searching the state every six months to find at least 50 people eager to become police officers in the city.
Patterson’s tenure was not without challenges. The city grappled with a mass shooting in Raleigh’s Hedingham neighborhood in October 2022. And in early 2025, emergencies at North Hills and Renaissance Park took the city by storm.
Patterson explained that the key to managing such situations is having well-trained personnel, strong leadership, and individuals who are ready to run toward danger, not away from it. As the tragic event occurred in North Hills, Patterson was in Wendell but responded quickly. By the time she arrived, her officers had already set up an incident command, positioned officers, alerted nearby businesses, and successfully isolated and contained the threat.
“That comes from training, a heart to do the work— commitment,” Patterson said in praise of her officers.
Patterson has a nuanced understanding of policing in diverse neighborhoods. While she emphasized that police presence should be strategic and purposeful, Patterson was clear that over-policing was never an option under her watch.
“We want to be in the right places at the right time, and we’re committed to ensuring the safety of every neighborhood,” she said. She pointed to her department’s efforts in areas like Glenwood Avenue on weekends as proof she wants officers where crime is often concentrated at specific times.
She told activist organizations in Raleigh early on that she wasn’t going to over-police communities, but that if the community wants the RPD there, they will be there. She explained that her directive is to focus on maintaining a consistent presence in areas of high crime rates to deter illegal activity and ensure safety for residents in specific areas.
She expressed her point with the story of a longtime elderly resident of southeast Raleigh who expressed a desire for more police in the neighborhood.
Patterson said, “I have to be sensitive to that. I’m not concerned about what the drug dealer says—I’m going to eradicate you. I’m going to get you out of that neighborhood and I’m going to make sure that neighborhood is safe for those law-abiding citizens who reside there and want to be there.”
City leaders and community members, including Raleigh City Manager Marchell Adams-David, Councilmember Corey Branch, and Raleigh Police Foundation Chair Brenda Gibson have praised Patterson’s work, especially her focus on community engagement and the human aspect of policing.
Despite the recognition she receives from her colleagues and fellow Raleigh residents, Patterson often redirects the praise to others. She constantly highlighted the efforts of her team, her fellow officers, and the community itself.
“Their willingness to do this job is just amazing and it makes me proud as a leader,” Patterson said. “As I’m leaving this police department, it’s bittersweet because I know the talent that’s here. I know the greatness that is here. I’m just so happy and humbled to have been a part of the greatness of this police department and this city.”
As Patterson prepares to hand over the reins to her successor, the city is beginning the search for a new chief to build on the progress made under her leadership. The city manager’s office has said further details regarding the search process will be announced soon. For now, the community bids farewell to a leader whose tenure was defined by collaboration and public safety.
