The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department will soon have a new police chief. CMPD on Friday named Estella Patterson, who was formerly the Raleigh Chief of Police, to lead the department. Patterson will now become the first female police chief in Charlotte’s history.
Her law enforcement career began in 1996 with CMPD and during her time in Charlotte, she was promoted to deputy chief. She served with the department for 25 years before going to head Raleigh's police department. Patterson will replace current CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings, who will retire at the end of this year.
“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.”
She is a UNC Charlotte graduate and holds a master's degree from the University of Oklahoma.