Frederick K. Heineman had been working for the New York Police Department when he was chosen as Raleigh's Chief of Police. He had begun his career as a patrolman in East Harlem, served as captain in the internal affairs section in the early 1970s, and finally become deputy chief inspector in the Bronx. During his tenure with the NYPD, he achieved recognition for his investigation of police corruption.
Chief Heineman introduced a number of new policies at the Raleigh Police Department. In July of 1979, as part of an energy conservation program, he encouraged officers to cut their driving (and therefore gasoline consumption) by 10%. A policy against police photographing legal activities was instituted in the same month, following an incident in which peaceful demonstrators were individually photographed by police. (The film was subsequently ordered destroyed.) In August of 1980, he formed a Major Crimes task force, which closed seven previously unsolved murders by November.
Chief Heineman also began to move officers into different roles more frequently than previously chiefs had. In the first year of his tenure, he began making more lateral transfers among the command staff in an effort to keep the staff familiar with all parts of the department, and to create more well-rounded leaders. This practice would continue, with lieutenants being moved around in 1981 , two captains switching roles in 1982, and division heads in 1985.
Under Heineman, the Raleigh Police Department began to institute community-based policing, part of a nation-wide trend to create trust and bonds between police officers and the communities they served, and to unite the groups to help fight crime.
Despite the issues during his tenure, Chief Heineman left a notable legacy. He updated police training and equipment and increased the diversity of the department. Under his leadership, the number of black and female officers increased dramatically. He also promoted the first black captain and the first female lieutenant.
Frederick Heineman officially left the Raleigh Police Department on February 28, 1994. After retiring, Chief Heineman was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994, serving for two years. He returned to Raleigh after his term in Washington. Frederick Heineman died on March 20, 2010, after a period of declining health.