At a press conference Friday, City Manager Doug Hewett announced Fayetteville’s next police chief: Roberto Bryan Jr., who will become the city’s 26th police chief when he steps into the role on July 7.
With three decades of experience in law enforcement, Bryan currently serves as police chief of Fayetteville State University, a role he was appointed to in 2022 after three years as a major in the Fayetteville Police Department.
“Chief Bryan is no stranger to our city,” Hewett said. “He has worn the badge here, served our nation with distinction, and most recently elevated the public safety operations at the Fayetteville State University as their chief and associate vice chancellor. In each role, he has demonstrated exactly what this community expects from its police chief, which is integrity, innovation and unwavering commitment to every resident for safety and for dignity.”
Bryan was chosen after a national search that the city kicked off in January, following former Police Chief Kemberle Braden’s retirement announcement in December.
Bryan received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from East Carolina University and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Fayetteville State University. He started his career in law enforcement in 1994 as a police officer in Durham. He then moved on to work at the Drug Enforcement Agency for 22 years, where he served as a special agent and section chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Byran is also a U.S. Army veteran and a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police.
Hewett said Bryan was chosen for a myriad of reasons, demonstrated by his accomplishments at FSU. Bryan has a “results-driven mindset,” Hewett said, increasing officer staffing at FSU from 58% to 95% in just two-and-a-half years and creating explosive-detection and K-9 units. The city also chose Bryan for his “proven ability to build trust,” Hewett said. During Bryan’s tenure at FSU, he negotiated market-rate pay for non-sworn officers and worked across university departments to enhance community safety. Bryan also introduced an unmanned-aircraft program to FSU’s public safety regimen.
“His vision aligns seamlessly with the city’s strategic parties,” Hewett said. “Chief-select Bryan understands that the backbone of public safety is trust.”
Speaking to reporters, Fayetteville City Council members, county and city officials and District Attorney Billy West on Friday, Bryan presented his vision for the department and Fayetteville’s public safety measures: a focus on community engagement and relationship-building, transparency and trust, and innovative crime reduction strategies. Bryan’s appointment comes at a time when the city is increasingly looking to explore alternative enhancements to traditional policing, such as youth engagement and violence interruption programs and initiatives under the new Office of Community Safety.
“There is much to do and I’m eager to begin,” Bryan said. “While we will focus on initiatives to reduce violent crime and strengthen recruitment and retention, I especially am looking forward to engaging with the community and building trust.”
New chief talks future plans
Taking questions from reporters on Friday, Bryan briefly addressed some pressing public safety topics in Fayetteville. He said he will work closely with city staff to implement the new youth curfew, which still has unanswered questions about its implementation and enforcement.
“So once those questions are answered in terms of how we’re going to collaborate with the Department of Social Services, Department of Juvenile Justice, then I think we can be able to have a better approach in terms of how we’re going to move forward with that,” Bryan said.
Bryan said he will also address transparency concerns by forming relationships with community members and establishing clear communication channels.
“For those that know me in terms of Fayetteville State, we’re always engaging with our community and talking with them and making sure that they have the answers … so they have an understanding, because we have to communicate,” Bryan said. “And that’s what I want to make sure that we do a very good job in communicating with the community and making sure that you guys have the trust that we’re doing what we need to be doing.”
Bryan also said he would work with the new director of the Office of Community, once the position is hired, to come up with a plan “of how we’re going to leverage each other in order to address these issues.” The OCS now has two staff members but still does not have a director, though a director is expected to start in June, Hewett said.
As police chief, Bryan said the biggest challenge he will face is tackling violent crime. While crime in Fayetteville is the lowest it’s been in a decade, a recent spike in gun violence and homicides has alarmed the Fayetteville community and city leaders.
“The challenge definitely will be the violent crime that is going on in the city and the recruitment and retention that we need to hire our officers in the department,” Bryan said. “So we already have a 30-, 60-, 90-day approach that we will be [implementing]. Once I get at the department where I can actually sit down with the staff and get an understanding of the victimology and everything else that has taken place, then we can actually secure a plan and go forward with that.”
Government accountability reporter Evey Weisblat can be reached at eweisblat@cityviewnc.com or 216-527-3608.
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