Could Carrboro and Chapel Hill share a police department and resources? The pair of neighboring local governments are discussing the feasibility of a merger and what it might look like.
The Town of Carrboro shared a release on Wednesday about the idea, describing it is a proposal to have a “shared police service delivery model” established through an interlocal agreement — with the goal of saving Carrboro money as its current police department faces major renovation needs and vehicle replacements. The official communication came after an internal flyer for town staff and council members was shared the week of October 5 and then published in the Panoramic Orange Substack by Terri Buckner on Monday, October 12. A formal, public presentation on the topic will be shared during the Carrboro Town Council meeting on Tuesday, November 10, according to the town.
The flyer, which is credited to Carrboro Town Manager Patrice Toney, indicates the retirement of Carrboro Police Chief Chris Atack on October 1 helped open up more serious consideration of consolidation with the town’s neighboring police force. The lack of a sitting chief would prevent Carrboro from displacing a leader, while the town also faces financial challenges from Tropical Depression Chantal’s flood damage, inflationary costs and the threat of a cap on local property taxes from a potential constitutional amendment in North Carolina.
The flyer also included a potential phased approach for if the move becomes official — but includes a November 2026 targeted start for a five-officer cohort between the Carrboro and Chapel Hill police departments that would share space. It also indicates Carrboro would pay Chapel Hill for “each increment” of the transition, but provides few other details other than Toney’s estimates that the local government would start seeing savings by year 2 of a partnership.
Carrboro’s release said the police department discussion is still in its “exploratory and planning stage,” which Mayor Barbara Foushee separately confirmed to Chapelboro. Such a move would require approval from both the Carrboro Town Council and the Chapel Hill Town Council before becoming official, as state law requires public votes to abolish offices or departments. The same is the case for any interlocal agreements between town governments.
“Public safety is one of the most important responsibilities we have in local government, and our residents deserve services that are responsive, professional, compassionate, and equipped to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” Toney said in the public alert. “This proposal is about exploring how we can build upon the strengths of both departments, expand our capacity, create efficiencies, and deliver a higher standard of service to the people we serve. It is also about being thoughtful stewards of public resources and recognizing that regional collaboration can create opportunities that may be difficult for smaller departments to achieve independently.”
In its own statement shared on Wednesday, the Town of Chapel Hill acknowledged the proposal — with Town Manager Ted Voorhees saying Carrboro’s leadership approached his staff “earlier this year” to look into the feasibility of absorbing Carrboro’s operations and services. Similar to Carrboro, the Chapel Hill official stressed that progression from an informational stage would need approval from both town councils.
“As good neighbors who already frequently collaborate, we are exploring the idea, including the legal, personnel, and fiscal impacts and outcomes,” said Voorhees. “In the coming weeks, we look forward to talking more about this idea with our residents, our partners in Carrboro, and our elected officials.”
“While conversations about this possibility are ongoing, I want Chapel Hill residents to know that nothing about the community-based policing we provide to the town would change,” Chapel Hill Police Chief Celisa Lehew said. “We would continue to deploy officers based on community needs, responding with the right personnel and the appropriate resources.”
An aerial view of the North Chapel Business Center located at 7300 Millhouse Road in Chapel Hill, as taken in 2024. Part of the site is now home to the Chapel Hill Police Department, which leases 55,000 square feet of space in the building closer to the road. (Photo via Merritt Properties.)
Chapel Hill Police recently upgraded its headquarters with a move from 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to 7300 Millhouse Road in September 2025. After failing to either find a new home or safely renovate the property due to the presence of buried coal ash, the department now operates out of 55,000 square feet with a variety of modern amenities and emergency operations infrastructure — while having room to grow, if necessary.
Meanwhile, Carrboro Police Department is headquartered in the town’s Century Center building at 100 North Greensboro Street. The building is a re-purposed Baptist church from the 1920’s, according to the town’s website, with Carrboro purchasing it in 1997. The police operations shared the space with other town departments for many years, although some of those operations were relocated from the Century Center with the opening of Carrboro’s Drakeford Library Complex in 2025. According to the Town of Carrboro’s webpage for its police, there are 43 employees who work in the department and 39 of those people are full-time law enforcement officers.
In its alert to the public, the Town of Carrboro said next steps in the discussions about its police department’s future are staff continuing to talk with the town council, hearing thoughts from police department personnel, and fielding feedback from community stakeholders. The local government said more details on public engagement, as well as a further information on the proposed police service model, will be shared as the evaluation between Carrboro and Chapel Hill continue — including more information shared during the town council’s November 10 business meeting.
Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.
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