The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and @CLTgov proudly announce the next police chief, Estella Patterson. Patterson, who was formerly the Chief of Police at the Raleigh Police Department and started her career in law enforcement with CMPD, is the first female police chief in Charlotte’s history.   Patterson joined CMPD in 1996 where she was the president of her recruiting class. In her 25 years with CMPD, she held a variety of positions and ranks throughout the department. Patterson started her career as a patrol officer before spending time at the academy in both Recruiting and Training. She also served in Internal Affairs before being promoted to Deputy Chief where she led the Administrative Services group followed by the Patrol Services group.   Patterson was the Chief of the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) from August 2021 until her retirement in March 2025. Please join us in congratulating Chief Patterson and welcoming her back to CMPD!