In her first year leading the police department where she has worked since 1986, Cary Police Chief Pat Bazemore has found much to celebrate.

Under her watch, the Cary Police Department has continued to be ranked among the safest cities in the nation. A list published last year by CQ Press ranked Cary the 15th safest municipality in the United States and the third safest city when compared with cities of similar size.

Underscoring that point is the fact that violent crime in particular dropped sharply last year, down 19 percent from 2007. During a recent interview, Bazemore, who took the helm of Cary’s police department on Jan. 11, 2008, seemed eager to share that statistic.

“It’s important, because this is really what people are often most concerned about,” she said.

But the year 2008 also offered up its share of challenges. Perhaps most notably, the Town of Cary saw three murders last year — the most the town has seen in a given year since at least 2000, said Chris Davis, Cary’s police records and accreditation manager.

One of those cases — the murder of Maria Teresa Herrera-Diaz, whose body was found in her home on Sept. 6 — remains unresolved. Police have identified her boyfriend as their prime suspect, but have been unable to locate him since her death.

Among the other victims of those crimes was Vanlata Patel, 57, whose charred remains were found Jan. 20, 2008 in a wooded area of Mecklenburg County, Va. Patel’s murder attracted the attention of the national media and required police in Cary to conduct an interagency investigation that crossed state lines.

Bazemore readily admits that both of those elements challenged her in her new role. “I don’t know if you can ever be prepared for it if you’ve never done it before,” she said, referring to the heavy volume of reporters and photographers that descended on the town in the days following Patel’s murder.

“The national media was camped out in our parking lot for days. That was a challenge, but thank goodness we have an incredible public information office that helped us work with the media in a way we had never had to before.”

Patel’s death was followed months later by another murder that continues to attract significant media coverage. But while Bazemore said the slaying of 34-year-old Nancy Cooper was nothing short of tragic, she said the case has helped draw out the kindness of Cary’s citizens.

“We had over 200 volunteers help in the search for Nancy Cooper,” Bazemore said. “To be in a community where people come together like that for their neighbors — I think that’s really what started all the attention.”

Cooper’s body was found July 14 near an undeveloped cul de sac in The Oaks at Meadowridge subdivision off of Holly Springs Road. The tragic discovery came just one day after an intense search for the mother of two, whose husband said she went jogging a day earlier and never returned.

Brad Cooper was charged with her murder on Oct. 27.

Bazemore said those cases, and the response from the community, also help highlight the importance of and need for community involvement. It’s something she said she will continue to push for as long as she remains Cary’s top cop.

“Nothing that we’ve done have we done by ourselves,” Bazemore said. “We have a very involved and concerned community, which helps us a lot. They’re always ready and willing to come out and help us.”

Bazemore said she expects that an upcoming change in her department’s strategy will only help further the cause of involving citizens in keeping their community safe and, hopefully, continue to curb crime.

Starting June 30, Cary police will shift to geographical policing, which will involve the creation of five districts in which teams of officers will concentrate their efforts on supporting residents within those zones.

“Smaller areas make it more practical to focus on those areas and analyze crime trends,” Bazemore said.

“It allows you to really know the area that you’re in, to get to know the businesses and neighbors and evaluate where the problem streets are and what that area’s needs are.”

The idea is an extension of her philosophy.

“We’re always evaluating how we do business,” she said. “We’re not necessarily looking to do it different. We’re just looking to do it better.”