Deputy Chief Rico Boyce will be the next Chief of the Raleigh Police Department, city manager Marchell Adams-David announced today.

“We are pleased to announce that our national search process has identified someone who has served Raleigh for more than two decades as our next chief of police. Rico Boyce has demonstrated that he knows how to effectively work with the community, and our process demonstrated the trust the community and the police department have in him,” Adams-David said.

“We are grateful to the community and the many stakeholders for their participation in this comprehensive process, which vetted candidates from all over the U.S. and Canada. We have confirmed that Rico Boyce is the right person for the job, delivering the right combination of leadership, empathy, tactical knowledge, and community connection. I look forward to working with him to make Raleigh one of the safest cities in the country.”

As chief, Boyce will lead a department of more than 900 total personnel with 792 sworn officer positions, the Raleigh PD said in a release .

“I would like to begin by expressing my heartfelt gratitude to my family for their unwavering support throughout my entire career with the Raleigh Police Department. I am deeply thankful to City Manager Marchell Adams-David for the incredible opportunity to finish my career as the Raleigh Chief of Police,” Boyce said.

“It is truly an honor, and I am excited to continue serving the greatest officers in the world while building lasting relationships with our amazing community members. I am grateful for Chief Patterson’s mentorship and guidance, and I look forward to building upon the remarkable work she has done as chief.”

Boyce started as a patrol officer in Raleigh’s Southeast District and advanced to the rank of deputy chief. He takes over from Chief Estella Patterson, who is retiring March 1 after serving the city for 3 ½ years.

Boyce worked three years as a patrol officer, he served as school resource officer at Southeast Raleigh High School and moved to the Gang Suppression Unit. He assisted the District Attorney’s office as an investigator for gang-related cases and served as a detective in the Financial Crimes Unit.

He earned the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant, watch commander, and then captain in the Southeast District. He started the Cops on Blocks initiative to better connect officers with the residents that they served. In 2021, he was promoted to major in charge of field operations and moved to lead Special Operations in 2022.

As deputy chief of operations, Boyce pioneered the drone unit, securing funding and equipment to better monitor outdoor events and to deliver another crime fighting tool for the department. As deputy chief of administration, Boyce began developing an autism awareness program that will alert officers of people with special needs, helping them to better serve those with special needs in our community.

“Boyce will assume the duties as acting police chief on March 1 and he will be sworn in as Raleigh’s 31st police chief later in March,” Adams-David stated.