By Herbert L. White
The Charlotte Post
Estella Patterson’s law enforcement career is coming back to where it started.
Patterson was appointed last week as Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief, making her the first woman to lead the department. Patterson, who was formerly Raleigh’s chief until March, started her career in law enforcement with CMPD. She succeeds Johnny Jennings, who is leaving at year’s end.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to return to Charlotte to serve the community and lead CMPD into its next chapter,” Patterson said in a statement. “Reducing violent crime and disorder, enhancing community engagement, and increasing employee morale and wellness are among my top priorities. I look forward to working collaboratively with law enforcement partners and community stakeholders to make Charlotte one of the safest cities in the nation.”
Patterson, who joined CMPD in 1996 as president of her recruiting class, spent 25 years with the department in several roles. She started as a patrol officer before moving to the academy as an instructor and recruiter. She moved to Internal Affairs and advanced to deputy chief for administrative services and patrol services deputy chief.
“The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has a long history of incredible leaders, who have collectively led CMPD to be one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the country and Chief Patterson will continue that tradition,” City Manager Marcus Jones said. “Chief Patterson’s deep experience with CMPD in addition to her recent experience leading the Raleigh Police Department made her an ideal candidate to continue CMPD’s successes but also bring new ideas to further the agency’s growth.”
As Raleigh’s police chief, Patterson oversaw the reduction in violent crime, including a 100% clearance of homicides in 2024 as well as the launch of a recruitment and hiring plan that cut the department’s vacancy rate from 150 to 40 in three years. Other accomplishments include creation of the Raleigh Police Foundation, which raised $4 million in two years to fund initiatives to lift employee morale.
Patterson, a member of the Army Reserve from 1996-2005 where she reached the rank of captain, served combat tours Kosovo and Iraq while twice earning the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service. A UNC Charlotte graduate, Patterson earned a master’s degree at the University of Oklahoma and a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
“I’d like to congratulate Chief Patterson and proudly welcome her back to CMPD as the next Chief of Police,” Jennings said. “She accomplished great things during her previous tenure here and I’m thrilled that she is returning to lead the department. As an internal candidate with external experience, she brings familiarity with the agency and already-established, strong relationships in the community.”
Patterson’s hiring was the culmination of a search process that include wider community input. In addition to City Council members, civil rights and faith leaders, neighborhood groups providing feedback, more than 600 CMPD officers weighed in through an anonymous survey. Another 850 responses to a community survey were submitted.
