18-07-2025
Braden for sheriff? Former Fayetteville police chief considers surprise comeback
Former Fayetteville Police Chief Kemberle Braden said he is considering applying to fill the vacant term of recently retired Sheriff Ennis Wright.
"I'm about 90% there," Braden told The Fayetteville Observer by phone July 17 after users on social media began posting Braden's photo and claiming the veteran Fayetteville police officer had applied for the position.
The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners announced July 16 that applications will be accepted through Aug. 4. The board will appoint someone to finish the 15 months left in Wright's term at its Aug. 11 meeting.
More: Fayetteville police chief talks of upcoming retirement, gives advice to incoming chief
Braden, 51, said that while he's enjoyed the months since retiring from the police force March 31, he's "dusted off" his resume. He said one of his biggest concerns is how it will affect his retirement with the Police Department.
"I'm really trying to weigh all my options," Braden said. "I am leaning toward, if it's feasible, I would consider doing it, yes."
He admitted that since leaving law enforcement — and despite the sunny days he's spent on the golf course — he's missed being a cop.
"When you've lived with chaos all around you for the last 30 years, that's the room that you're most comfortable in," he said.
"We've got another three or four weeks before I have to make the final decisions. For me, the message right now is that I'm still young. I still have the opportunity to make a difference. I think this is an opportunity on a bigger scale than where I was at to have a bigger influence on the county.
"It's sort of like the old adage, 'If not you, then who?'"
A resident of Cumberland County since he was 6 years old, Braden had worked for the Fayetteville Police Department since 1996 when he was hired as chief in December 2022.
He is the son of a Korean mother and a U.S. paratrooper who met in Okinawa, and he was the first Asian-American police chief in Fayetteville's history. His father served in Special Forces and was assigned to Fort Bragg, bringing his young family here in the early '80s.
Wright, who retired June 30 after serving more than 30 years in law enforcement, requested in his resignation that Maj. Jonathan Morgan be appointed to succeed him. Until a new sheriff is selected by the board, Chief Deputy C. Jack Broadus is serving as acting sheriff.
Local news editor F.T. Norton can be reached at fnorton@
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Ex-Fayetteville police chief Braden could seek Cumberland County sheriff
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