Howard F. Patton Jr., retired Philadelphia police captain and SEPTA police chief, has died at 87

Howard F. Patton Jr., 87, of Philadelphia, a retired captain for the Philadelphia Police Department, former chief of police for SEPTA, community activist, veteran, and mentor, died Tuesday, Nov. 28, of cancer at Chestnut Hill Hospital.

Part of the Patton family that features several other notable public servants and high achievers in Philadelphia and elsewhere, Capt. Patton joined the Philadelphia Police Department in 1960 and served for more than two decades as a patrolman, patrol sergeant, unit supervisor, detective commander, and district commander. He championed crime prevention as well as law enforcement over his 30-year career and was recognized for effectively connecting the police and public through education and communication.

He was director of the innovative Model Cities Foot Patrol Program that reinstituted patrolmen to restive neighborhoods in the mid-1970s. A few years later, he became captain of the 14th District, the only Black captain in 1980, and was regarded as the key link between the police and the district’s many community groups.

He left the police department to join the new SEPTA transit police force as deputy chief in 1981, became chief in 1986, and retired in 1990. He focused largely on vandalism in the subway, gang-related violence, the plight of people experiencing homelessness, and crime-prevention tactics during his tenure with SEPTA.

He was especially adept at engaging with the public, and he told the Daily News in 1986 during a string of high-profile pickpocket crimes: “The best method is to educate the riding public. If they learn to protect themselves, the pickpockets have to move on.” Faced with an increasing homeless population in the subway, he wrote in a 1989 commentary in The Inquirer that the problem “should not be left to the police to solve. It is a societal ill that has not been adequately addressed.”

Despite low morale, faulty equipment, and budget issues of the day, Capt. Patton managed to add SEPTA officers and fine-tune their training. He advised neighborhood watch groups, initiated greater cooperation between SEPTA and the police department, and required his officers to attend a rider courtesy course to improve public relations.

He was quoted often in The Inquirer and Daily News, and represented the police on radio shows and at public forums. He also served as one-time president of the Oak Lane Youth Association and was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, Guardian Civic League, and NAACP.

“He was a very, very fine commander of men and a terrific investigator,” a former police inspector told The Inquirer in 1989. Louis J. Gambaccini, then-general manager of SEPTA, said: “I think he’s a real professional.”

Howard Franklin Patton Jr. was born April 14, 1936, in Philadelphia. One of five children, he liked to sing as a young man and performed in bands that covered the songs of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Johnny Mathis.

He graduated from Camden High School, joined the Air Force, and was discharged in 1960. He met Susan Primus through his sister, and they married in 1960 and had son Howard and daughters Donna and Sharon. His wife died in 2000.

Capt. Patton lived in North Philadelphia, West Oak Lane, Melrose Park, and Chestnut Hill over the years. He smiled a lot, was quick with a joke, and instinctively mentored people wherever he went. Family and friends called him Frank.

A whiz at home repairs, he joined other craftsmen in the 1990s to do local restoration and repair work. He decorated his own home with art, liked fishing, and took his family to Eagles games whenever he could.

He arranged annual family vacations to Atlantic City, Canada, and elsewhere. He was neat and disciplined, and taught his children largely through example.

“He was hands-on. He was a present father,” said his daughter Donna. “He always told me, ‘I love you.’”

His son said: “He made lifelong friends because he was always ready to help someone else. He knew how to steer your boat and put you on the right path.”

In addition to his children, Capt. Patton is survived by two grandsons, a sister, and other relatives. A sister and two brothers died earlier.

Visitation with the family is to be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6, at St. Athanasius Church, 2050 E. Walnut Lane, Philadelphia, Pa. 19138. A service is to follow at 11:30.