CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- The City of Charlotte has announced the new Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief, marking the first woman to hold the position.
City Manager Marcus Jones announced Friday that former Raleigh Chief of Police Estella Patterson has been selected as the next CMPD Chief. It marks a full-circle moment for Patterson, who started her law enforcement career with CMPD.
“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,” 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.”
West Charlotte nonprofit aims to guide youth down the right pathIn 1996, Patterson joined CMPD, becoming class president of her recruiting class. Over 25 years, she served in several roles such as patrol officer as well as instructor and recruiter at the academy. Patterson also served in Internal Affairs before becoming the Deputy Chief over Administrative Services and later the Deputy Chief over Patrol Services.
Patterson then held the role of Raleigh Police Chief from Aug. 2021 to March 2025 when she retired. Serving as chief, she oversaw major changes with the department, including putting into place a recruitment and hiring plan that reduced the department vacancy rate from 150 to 40 in three years. She also oversaw the creation of the Raleigh Police Foundation, which raised $4 million over two years towards projects supporting employee morale.
Chief Patterson saw the department achieve a 100% clearance rate for homicide in 2024 as part of efforts to reduce violent crime.
Prior to joining CMPD, Patterson was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve from 1996 to 2005, serving combat tours in Kosovo and Iraq. She twice received the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service and reached the rank of Captain. Patterons also graduated from the FBI National Academy.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to return to Charlotte to serve the community and lead CMPD into its next chapter," Patterson said. "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 graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and her Master of Science in criminal justice from the University of Oklahoma.
She has served in leadership roles for various professional law enforcement associations, including as an executive board member and president of the N.C. Police Executives Association, as well as a Commissioner on the N.C. Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission, which regulates training, certification and policymaking for all police officers in North Carolina.
She is also a commissioner on the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and a member of the Eastern NC chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).
The City of Charlotte says the hiring process for a new CMPD chief included input from community groups, stakeholders, Charlotte City Council members, civil rights organizations, and faith-based organizations. Over 600 CMPD officers also responded to an anonymous organizational-wide survey, and 850 community members responded to another survey requesting input.
This comes after current CMPD Police Chief Johnny Jennings announced that he would retire at the end of the year. Jenning has served with what is now CMPD since 1992 and as police chief since July 2020.
“It has been an honor and sincere pleasure to serve as Chief of Police for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department,” Jennings said. “I’d like to congratulate Chief Patterson and proudly welcome her back to CMPD as the next Chief of Police. 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. I look forward to supporting her and seeing all that she will accomplish for the department and for the City of Charlotte.”
Chief Jennings' retirement announcement came amid backlash surrounding the City reaching a closed $305,000 settlement with Jennings after former city councilmember Tariq Bokhari reportedly threatened to “ruin” Jennings’s career after the chief declined to allow officers to wear “outer carrier protective vests.”
Chief Johnny Jennings (far left) and Deputy Chief Sherie Pearsall (far right) attend Patterson's (center right) swearing-in ceremony as Raleigh Chief of Police. (City of Charlotte, 2021)Following the announcement of Patterson's hiring, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police released a note of congratulations and support.
"Chief Patterson's name was repeatedly mentioned in an FOP survey as someone our members wanted as CMPD's next police Chief. We are extremely grateful for her willingness to serve," wrote the Char-Meck FOP. "We wholeheartedly support Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones' decision and are looking forward to working with Chief Patterson on matters important to our members."
The city is set to hold a press conference on Monday morning to introduce Patterson.
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