Patty Patterson

Based in South Carolina, Patty Patterson has been member of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids since 2005, and is currently a board member of the Council for a Strong America. In 2001, Patterson was appointed as Sumter, SC’s first female Chief of Police and the first African American to serve in the position in the City of Sumter’s history. She retired in 2011 and transitioned to her current role as the Sumter’s Public Safety and Welfare Director.

Previously, Patterson was a criminologist instructor with the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, a special agent with the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and then joined the Sumter Police Department as a Major of Operations, second in command to then­ Chief Harold B. Johnson.

Patterson is passionate about high­-quality home visiting programs that reduce crime as well as child abuse and neglect. She has signed several letters, met with members of Congress and spoke at the National Press Club in support of federal investments in home visiting programs.

Back to Board Members