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Behind the scenes, private dollars are shaping how prepared Raleigh really is.
Stella Patterson may have stepped down as Raleigh’s police chief—but her legacy is still at work.
Because here’s the reality: When you call 911, you expect someone to show up ready—trained, equipped and operating with the best tools available. And while city budgets cover the essentials, they don’t stretch far enough to fund what’s next.
That gap is where the Raleigh Police Department Foundation comes in. Inspired by Charlotte’s, Patterson introduced the foundation with a simple premise: to “make Raleigh the safest city in the nation” by bringing in private-sector dollars to help fill what public funding can’t.
Fueled by corporate donors such as First Citizens Bank and TowneBank, along with board support from local business leaders like Mike Smith of Kane Realty Corporation and Larry Barbour of North State Bank, it directs private dollars toward equipment, technology and support the city budget doesn’t cover. And it’s not just big-name backers—everyday Raleighites can step in too, putting real dollars behind it.
“It gives people a way to put their money where their mouth is on public safety,” said Patterson. “They’re funding projects we wouldn’t have been able to do within our budget.”
And that investment isn’t abstract—it’s tangible, immediate and, in some cases, life-saving. In one recent road rage incident, two officers were shot—one in the head and alive today thanks to a specialized ballistic helmet funded by the foundation, not the city budget. It’s the difference between response and outcome.
That’s the through-line—not upgrades, but tools that change outcomes. Think high-tech gear like drones, night-vision optics, advanced camera systems, plus less visible pieces like K-9 support, mounted patrol horses, specialized bikes and officer wellness initiatives—including the department’s emotional support dog, Teddy.
It’s not just a list of equipment—it’s about readiness, about whether the person responding to a call has what they need in that moment. That impact also reaches beyond officers. In the wake of tragedy, the foundation has stepped in to support both responders and residents—from meal donations in Hedingham to youth programs and crisis-response support—quietly reinforcing where public safety and community trust actually meet.
And the need is only growing. At the foundation’s first major public-facing event this spring at North Ridge Country Club, Chief Rico Boyce emphasized the same point: Expectations for public safety continue to rise, even as budgets remain finite.
Which leaves Raleigh, like many cities, at a crossroads. Because while tax dollars fund the baseline, the question is what it takes to go beyond it—not just to respond, but to be truly prepared. Increasingly, that answer is coming from outside City Hall—or, as Patterson put it, from a community “putting its money where its mouth is” when it comes to safety.
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