Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, who Ackerman said selected Patterson for the job, described him as the right person to lead the district's safety office.
"I am confident Chief Inspector Myron Patterson will provide veteran law-enforcement leadership to the Philadelphia School District police and the Philadelphia community," the commissioner stated.
James B. Golden Jr., who led the district's safety office for five years, abruptly resigned Tuesday. Golden had a police background but was a district employee.
District sources said Golden had expressed frustration that Ackerman did not consult him enough on safety decisions, a charge she strongly denied. Golden has declined to comment on those reports and said he left to pursue another job opportunity.
This is not the first time the district has turned to a city police officer to fill the top safety job. In 1993, the police force lent William Bergman to the district; in 2001, it was Dexter Green.
The district's safety office has a $40 million budget and oversees 265 schools.
Ackerman said she collaborated with Mayor Nutter and Ramsey before appointing Patterson. After Golden resigned, she said she would rely on Ramsey to help devise strategies for school safety.
"Safety and security remain top priorities for me," the superintendent said in a statement. "We still have a long way to go to ensure every child, teacher and administrator is safe in every school every day. Chief Inspector Patterson will help us reach that goal."
Over the last two years, the number of reported violent incidents in city schools has dropped by 29 percent, according to the district.
