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BY LISA DE MAIO BREWER
FOR THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.

A mother of four and grandmother of seven, Patricia “Pat” Dulin Norris likes baking wedding cakes and volunteering on community boards.

The faithful member of the Carver Road church meets almost weekly with a Communities in Schools “lunch buddy” and said she believes that everyone has a calling from God.

And oh, by the way, she also packs heat — as the police chief of North Carolina’s fifth-largest city.
The 28-year Winston-Salem police veteran was sworn in as the city’s first black — and second female — chief in February 2004.

At the office, it’s no secret that she’s a Christian, as evidenced by a recent conversation she had with an officer.

“This young officer came to me and said, ‘Chief, Chief, can I ask you something? What do you believe about instrumental music?’” recalled Norris, 51.

The officer had met a young lady from a church of Christ and she had begun studying with him. The officer played drums for services at his own church, and had questions about a cappella services. Norris said she discussed several Bible verses with the officer.

Carver Road interim minister Bernard Revel, who also happens to be Norris’ cousin, describes her as “a very faithful Christian woman.”

“I don’t think you’ll meet a more genuine, real person,” Revel said. “She’s very approachable, easy to talk to. She has a magnetism about her that will draw you in.”

Norris is quick to credit others when it comes to her success. Raised by her mother and maternal grandparents, she said she sees family as a priority.

“My grandparents were very influential,” she said, her eyes becoming misty. “And I had my mother, and her twin sister, and lots of family nearby. They say it takes a village to raise a child — well, I had it.”

She said she never saw her grandparents argue. There were no harsh words — and no decks of playing cards in the house either, she added with a laugh.

The family attended church regularly, and often stayed all day. She was baptized as a young teen. Asked if she ever experienced spiritual doubts, Norris assumed an expression of genuine shock.

“Doubt?” she repeated, incredulous. “There’s only one church. There’s one body, one faith. It’s there — you can read it.”

Norris laughs frequently, even in a job where the hours are demanding and the duties are stressful. Whether detailing the city’s latest anti-drug plan, pitching the Citizen’s Police Academy or reliving a favorite family memory, Norris remains enthusiastic.

“I think you can tell I’m a positive person,” she said with a chuckle.

Still, there were times when Norris felt the sting of racism. Adolescence is a period of awakening for most youths, and Norris was no exception.

“In junior high school, I began to get a little militant,” she said with a wry grin. “I had the big Afro, and I began to learn about my rights. I came home and told my grandparents that we were not ‘colored,’ we were black!”

Today Norris’ service on several boards, including the North Carolina Actual Innocence Commission, has contributed to Winston-Salem’s growing reputation as a model city in improving race relations.

Winston-Salem City Councilwoman and Mayor Pro-Tem Vivian H. Burke has known Norris since Burke was first elected in 1977. Burke has also served as the city’s public safety chairman since 1977, and has followed Norris’ career.

“Chief Norris wants to involve the community and citizens, to make citizens more aware of the role of the Winston-Salem Police Department and to have a respectful relationship for citizens and police,” Burke said.

“She is present in the neighborhoods, she takes time in public to speak, and she takes time to listen. She is patient and tolerant.”

Educated in the Winston-Salem public school system, Norris graduated from R. J. Reynolds High School in 1972. Her mother and grandparents thought she would be a nurse, but Norris watched a foster sister begin a career in law enforcement, and that appealed to her, too.

“My grandmother was not happy at all; it was too dangerous,” Norris recalled.

“But I stuck with it. It gets in your blood.”

She married and raised her family, all the while working in law enforcement and earning promotions. In 1993, she received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Winston-Salem State University.

She and her husband, Robert, recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.

“We work together. We’re a team,” she said. “He helps me so much.”

Despite her success, Norris said she does not consider herself a role model.

“I’m just somebody striving to do the right thing,” she said. “I hope that I influence others to do this, to be all that they can be — that sounds corny — but I think we limit ourselves, especially young women.”

Frequently invited to speak to groups of young people, Norris always advises them to “never give up an opportunity.” She shares her recipe for success in life by insisting that her young audiences look up five words in their dictionaries: honesty, integrity, responsibility, accountability and trust.

“Apply these things to your everyday life,” Norris advises them. And she adds that God is first in every decision she makes.

“Being a Christian ... this is how I live,” Norris said.

Cousin and evangelist Revel agreed.

“She wears Christ well,” he said.

LISA BREWER is a former speech writer and freelance journalist. She attends the Wilkesboro, N.C., church.