By Angela Lindsay
When Kerr Putney was sworn in as Chief of Police of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department in 2015, becoming only the second black person in this city ever to hold the office, he had long been dedicated to his oath “To Protect and Serve.”
He had worked with the department for almost 30 years when he decided to retire on his own terms in 2020, choosing to transition into professional public safety consulting mode.
Now, he has taken on a new role.
In July 2024, he began working as Chief of Protective Services at Novant Health — and it came at a time when he wasn’t even searching. “I was not in the market for a job at the time. Kim Henderson [executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Novant Health] was looking for someone to fill a position such as this, and she and the CEO, Carl Armato, apparently wanted to have the conversation,” Putney said.
“So, I met with Kim over lunch; she described the job to me, and I fell in love with the opportunity. She convinced me that this was an opportunity that I shouldn’t pass up, and she was absolutely right. I’ve loved every minute of being here at Novant Health.”
This opportunity comes after many years of previous consulting contracts with companies such as Security Global Collaborators LLC and CPI Security and Developmental Associates. At Novant, Putney oversees all the public safety for 40,000 team members, including executive protection to keep the executive team safe. Most recently, the aviation division came under his leadership as well.
“Another part of what I do is briefing the executive team and the Novant Health Board on issues relevant to safety matters that are impacting or could impact our organization,” he said.
Putney earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, followed by a master’s degree in criminal justice at East Carolina University. While his academic background prepared him for a career in law enforcement, he said his experience with CMPD helped prepare him for his current position.
He experienced his share of obstacles with CMPD, he said, however, under his leadership, there was positive change and healing, including a reduction in crime and increased officer accountability in 2018 and about an 80 percent crime clearance rate overall in 2019. “Leadership is leadership” he said, so he was not concerned about that piece of it. The transition, in fact, was not as difficult as he expected.
“You have to learn processes and procedures and protocols everywhere you go. Healthcare can be complicated with risks and legal restrictions. So, that was a learning curve I knew I would encounter. We just have great people, great team members, who’ve helped me every step of the way,” Putney said.
That level of support was the “most enticing piece” when he initially considered the position at Novant and has been instrumental in guiding his way forward, he said.In addition, the lessons he learned at CMPD around developing people, developing his team and leading with credibility were all transferable skills that, he said helped make his move from the force to civilian roles a smooth one.
“What I see here that I saw previously at the [police department] was just great people dedicated to doing great things — rallying around a great cause. That is exactly what I see here at Novant Health,” he said. “As long as you care, listen and lead, people tend to follow.”
Despite Putney’s fondness for CMPD, when asked if he misses working at the department, he quips, “The short answer is ‘No, I do not.’ I tell everybody ‘I left it on the field.’ I did all I could there. I passed the torch. They’re in good hands. But it was time for me. I think everybody has a shelf life, and as long as you’ve given all you have, I don’t think there are any regrets,” Putney said. “I’ve never regretted being a cop, serving for 28 years and 2 months only in Charlotte, and I definitely haven’t regretted, at all, the retirement. I highly recommend it actually!”
Putney is on to new and different challenges now — the biggest of which is managing the healthcare system’s rapid growth and establishing licensing with the mostly contract hospitals Novant Health has in South Carolina to bring them on board in the protective services realm over the next two years.
“What we are looking at is keeping pace with the fast growth that we’re having at Novant Health,” he said. “We are already expanding into South Carolina with other areas planned. Just being able to have our hybrid model of sworn and public safety officers (brought) on board in different states and [managing] the different licensing challenges so that can really become a part of our culture and [we can] do business consistently across the entire Novant Health organization.”
While it’s the biggest challenge to date, he says it’s also the most rewarding because going into different states filled with different people allows him to bring the Novant Health culture to different communities. To that end, Putney said his major goal is to initiate and implement personnel development at Novant Health by having his leadership team “really digging into formalizing a career path from the day we recruit and hire you, until you start to get promoted or go into specialized units.”
He added, “We’re really developing that piece of the puzzle to have a professional organization that has a lot of opportunities for those who want to come into healthcare in the public safety field.”
When he isn’t busy inspiring people to do great work, Putney said he spends time with family and travels, such as his family’s annual trip to The Bahamas. He has even tried his hand at golf but said he wouldn’t consider it a hobby because “it’s not very relaxing.”
“I’m competitive, and I’m horrible at it!”
Still, it is the excitement of meeting people who, he said, remind him of himself in the early 90s — young, impressionable, wanting to make a difference — and getting them motivated to want to become leaders and investigators that he really enjoys and keeps him getting up early every morning.
“What we do here on our property and how we impact our people is where Novant Health exceeds all expectations. Remarkable service is an understatement,” said Putney. “We do great things here, and I love it.”