Wednesday marked the dawn of a new era in Franklin as Steve Patterson was officially sworn in as the city’s new police chief.

Patterson comes to Franklin with impressive credentials, having most recently served as one of the deputy police chiefs for the city of Suffolk. As reported on Aug. 2, he has experience commanding all three of that city’s primary bureaus, including patrol investigation and administration. Patterson also has an associate degree in applied science in police science from Camp Community College, an associate degree in applied science in corrections, also from the college, a bachelor of science degree in governmental administration from Christopher Newport University and a master’s in public administration from Troy University. He’s also a graduate of the FBI National Academy 240th session.

We at The Tidewater News are confident in the decision of Franklin’s City Council and City Manager Amanda Jarratt, and are looking forward to his doing all he can to improve the safety and security of Franklin. We are particularly excited about his plans to have the Franklin Police Department once again participate in National Night Out. National Night Out is an annual opportunity for residents to get to know their police officers, firefighters and EMTs in a casual environment, and also learn how to fight crime by taking preventative measures.

Welcome to Franklin, Chief Patterson!