An N.C. State graduate has been named the first female African-American Chief of Police of the City of Raleigh. 

City Manager J. Russell Allen appointed Cassandra Deck- Brown as Raleigh’s Chief of Police on Feb. 1. The promotion moves Deck-Brown to the highest rank in the Raleigh police department. 

“Cas sandra-Deck Brown stepped up in every occasion and especially during the interim period,” Allen said. “She will bring new ideas, and the vision she has for the department is what the Raleigh police department is about.” 

The vacancy for the Chief of Police position opened up when former Chief Harry Dolan retired on Oct. 1, 2012. Allen appointed Deck-Brown as the Interim Chief of Police while the department enlisted a team to search for a new chief. 

Allen started a national search for the position, which began last September, and created a team to help screen the 48 applicants they received. 

Deck-Brown was a finalist in a search that also included finalists Malik Aziz, Deputy Chief for the Dallas, Texas Police Department, and Bryan Norwood, Chief of the Richmond, Va. Police Department. 

The new Chief of Police is connected to the Raleigh community and provides a new perspective on how the city will handle issues, according to Sheila Smith-McKoy, Director of the N.C. State African American Cultural Center. 

“I think it will have an immeasurable impact,” Smith-McKoy said. “Raleigh now has a police chief that is very connected to underrepresented communities. It will make a vast difference in how Raleigh handles multicultural issues as they arise.”