Patrick (Pat) L. Gallagher has served as Chief of Police for the New Bern Police Department since March 2021. With more than 39 years of combined military and law enforcement experience, he retired as Deputy Chief of the Virginia Beach Police Department after a long and rewarding career.
Born in 1964 at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, Pat grew up in a military family and moved often during his childhood. He spent three years in Fayetteville, North Carolina, near Fort Bragg, before his family settled in Northern Virginia, where he graduated from Gar-Field High School in 1983.
Pat began his career in public service in 1983 as a member of the U.S. Army Military Police Corps. His assignments took him to the 218th Military Police Company in Augsburg, Germany, and the 555th Military Police Company at Fort Lee, Virginia. After an honorable discharge in 1986, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in 1990 and a Master of Public Administration in 2004, both from Old Dominion University. He joined the Virginia Beach Police Department that same year and went on to serve in a variety of leadership roles before retiring as Deputy Chief.
He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the Senior Management Institute for Police, and the Police Executive Leadership Institute. He also holds multiple professional certifications and taught as an adjunct professor at Tidewater Community College for more than a decade.
Throughout his career, Pat has believed deeply in the power of trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. In 2012, he helped lead research that resulted in the formal recognition of the first African American officers to serve Princess Anne County and later the City of Virginia Beach. He is also the co-author of Black Law Enforcement Pioneers in Princess Anne County and Virginia Beach, Virginia.
As Chief in New Bern, Pat focuses on building real relationships with the people he serves. He is committed to community engagement, officer wellness, and practical strategies that reduce crime while helping residents feel safer in their own neighborhoods.
Pat and his wife, Millicent, live in New Bern, North Carolina. They are the proud parents of a son, Gunther, and a daughter, Payge. Active members of St. Paul Catholic Church and St. John’s Masonic Lodge, they are longtime fans of the Minnesota Vikings, the Baltimore Orioles, and Old Dominion University athletics. In his free time, Pat enjoys woodworking, building models, and reading—especially the works of Stephen King, Lee Child, and Michael Connelly.
Though much of his life has been devoted to public service, Pat’s greatest inspiration has always come from the extraordinary bond between people and dogs. The Smallest Rottweiler grew out of his lifelong admiration for their loyalty, courage, and unconditional love. Through Gunther’s story, he hopes readers of all ages will remember that true strength isn’t measured by size, but by character, compassion, and the willingness to protect the ones we love.
