A New York City police officer with more than 20 years of law enforcement experience has been named assistant chief of the UT Police Department.
Sean Patterson will begin the position April 1. As assistant chief, he will be responsible for UTPD’s day-to-day operations.
“We are excited to have Sean join us at UTPD. His experience managing large events will translate well here at UT,” said Troy Lane, UT associate vice chancellor for public safety and chief of police. “I was particularly impressed with his personal references, especially those from the Police Executive Research Forum, where he has assisted with curriculum development and delivery in a wide array of areas including critical incident response, police use of force, and de-escalation techniques.”
Patterson is currently a lieutenant with the New York Police Department. He is training coordinator for its Emergency Service Unit, which performs tactical and technical rescues including high-angle rope and water rescues and vehicle extrications.
Since 2015, he has served as safety officer for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. He directs an interagency task force responsible for the safety of the parade route and leads a team of sergeants tasked with the safe operation and flight of 18 large helium character balloons, numerous smaller novelty balloons, and floats.
Patterson has served with NYPD for 21 years. He also is a retired Navy chief petty officer with 22 years of service including deployments to Bosnia, Kuwait, and Iraq.
A native of Staten Island, New York, Patterson comes from a family of police officers and medical care professionals. His father is a retired NYPD sergeant, and his mother is a retired emergency room nurse. His brother is a retired NYPD detective, and his sister is a retired labor and delivery nurse.
Patterson’s wife, Anaida, is a K9 handler with NYPD’s Emergency Service K9 Team. Her partner, K9 Smitty, is named after Officer Moira Smith, the only female NYPD officer killed on September 11, 2001. Smitty is a four-year-old male Dutch shepherd.
Sean and Anaida Patterson are parents to Liam, 10, and Erin, 6.
For fun, Patterson is learning how to play the bagpipes. He also is an avid distance runner and has completed six New York City Marathons.
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CONTACT:
Lola Alapo (865-974-1094, lalapo@utk.edu)