Prior to becoming Chief, Charles Koonce had been a leader in organized labor. He had also printed newspapers.  Although he was elected Chief in October, he did not start his duties until November 1st of 1915.  Instead, he visited police departments in Virginia, at Norfolk and Richmond, to study their methods.  Koonce wanted to make a more efficient and effective police force, borrowing drill and inspection ideas from the military.  Chief Koonce’s commitment to organizing and improving the Raleigh Police Department was challenged early in his career.  Just days after he assumed office, he was faced with the need to address four officers involved in “wild disorder” outside a local billiard parlor.  Citizens felt that the situation should have been handled quickly, and that more arrests should have been made.  One of the officers was subsequently demoted from Police Captain, and Nat Warren promoted in his place.
During 1916, Charles Koonce addressed traffic concerns, employing the city’s first speed detector, invented by a local man in June of 1917.  He continued his anti-speeding campaign in August.  He also conducted raids to search for illegal liquor and discontinued “pick the winner” gambling in the city. In January of 1917, Chief Koonce announced that he would not seek re-election, but would leave the police to start a labor paper, which would begin printing on March 1st.  Titled “The Union Herald,” it would continue to be printed through the mid-20th century.  He died in 1954 after a long illness, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.