Women of Distinction Magazine Selects Patty Jaye Garrett Patterson as a Distinguished Professional in Her Field

    SUMTER, SC, November 24, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Patty Jaye Garrett Patterson, Public Safety and Welfare Director for the City of Sumter, South Carolina, has been recognized with an Excellence Award as a Distinguished Professional in her field through Women of Distinction Magazine. Patty Jaye Garrett Patterson will be featured in an upcoming edition of Women of Distinction in 2016/2017.

Patty Jaye Garrett Patterson's tenured career in law enforcement began in 1979 in local government as a Traffic Court Clerk for the County Magistrate's Office. While simultaneously working toward her associate's degree, her interest for the field continued to grow steadily and her work ethic was immediately recognized. Over the course of the next 32 years, Patterson transitioned from Warrant and Preliminary Hearing Clerk to Deputy Sheriff assigned as a Juvenile Investigator in 1981 assisting troubled youth. She then attended South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and was quickly sought after by SCCJA personnel to serve as a Criminologist Instructor in 1983 training recruits in diverse facets of training, to include communications, ethics, report writing, crisis intervention, defensive driving, firearms, sexual assault, child abuse and neglect, and more. Patterson then took on the role of Special Agent with the State Law Enforcement Division and sole female member of SWAT, then was hired as Major of Operations, Second in Command, for the City of Sumter Police Department before being selected to attend the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy, Graduate Class 177. Appointed to Chief of Police in 2001, she remained in position for a decade before retiring her shield in 2011.

Upon retirement, Patterson immediately took on the role of Public Safety and Welfare Director for the City of Sumter, where she serves as a liaison for threats to public health, safety and welfare issues, and assisting with the county emergency management operations in potential dangers. Other duties include disaster recovery efforts coordinating with entities regarding public health and safety, handling community and charity outreach, custodial care personnel for municipal administration, and more.

"I've always believed early on in my tenure that there was life after law enforcement," Patterson said happily, noting that one of her biggest inspirations has been her now deceased father, Retired Master Sergeant Lorenzo Lewis Garrett. "It's important to know when it's time to retire, to never stay beyond your time. What a blessing it has been to be afforded to depart while on top."

After completing her AA in 1981, Patterson later earned her BA in Interdisciplinary Studies in 1989. In 1994 she graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy, was hand-selected to serve as a team member on the South Carolina Rotary International Group Study Exchange to Switzerland in 1995, and, while a SPD Major, completed her Master's in Criminal Justice in 1998. Patterson continues to serve as an Executive Board Member for the Governor Appointment to South Carolina Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services, as Secretary for a local appointment to the Tri-County South Carolina Long-Term Disaster Recovery Steering Committee, as Executive Board Member for the National Appointment to Strong Council for America, as Retired Chief appointed to the Executive Leadership Advisory Council of the Fight Crime: Invest in Kids - Police Training Institute, as Member of the Girl Scouts Mountains to Midlands, Bethesda Church of God and Voices of Praise, and South Carolina Peer Team Crisis Counseling Outreach, and as a Volunteer with YWCA and Tri-County South Carolina Volunteer Disaster Assistance. She was recognized as an Honorary Weasel Inductee for the 20th Fighter Wing with the Shaw Air Force Base, US Air Force, served as Honorary Commander for the 20th Fighter Wing Security Forces Squadron during her tenure as Chief, was named National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives and Motorola Women Law Enforcement Executive of the Year in 2007, was granted a South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association Law Enforcement Lifetime of Achievement Award in 2010, and was inducted into the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame.

About Women of Distinction Magazine:
Women of Distinction Magazine strives to continually bring the very best out in each article published and highlight Women of Distinction. Women of Distinction Magazine's mission is to have a platform where women can grow, inspire, empower, educate and encourage professionals from any industry by sharing stories of courage and success.

Contact:
Women of Distinction Magazine, Melville, NY
631-465-9024 [email protected]

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