John Patrick “Bud” Stell was elected to the position of Chief on June 3, 1909, after serving as Deputy Sheriff of Wake County under Sheriff J. H. Sears.  He did not begin duty until July, however, after taking the month of June to study other police departments in Norfolk, Richmond, and other nearby cities.  Support for Stell around the time of election centered on praise for his service as Deputy (one editorial claims he had served for eight to ten years) and belief that he would clean up illegal liquor distribution and gambling, as well as vagrancy.
On July 1, 1909, Chief Stell’s first day serving in the city, he was presented with a gold badge, which was customary, and a broom, which was not.  A local paper recorded that Mr. Bailey, who presented the new broom, declaring it to be a fit symbol of the office, and that a “new broom sweeps clean.”  Chief Stell lived up to expectations, working until his removal in 1913 to curb prohibition violations, illegal gambling, prostitution, drug abuse, and other perceived vices in Raleigh.
The enforcement of prohibition seemed to be of particular interest to Stell – North Carolina was the first state in the south to pass laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol, in June of 1908.  Several communities had prohibition laws which predated the statewide mandate.  (Durham had regulations as early as 1904.) Raids on “blind tigers,” or establishments which illegally sold alcohol, began in September of 1909, continuing throughout Stell’s tenure as chief.  
Other morality-related issues, and law enforcement’s role in policing them, seemed to be high in the public consciousness at this time.  One question centered around contractors working on Sunday (North Carolina had passed a law against tradesmen, contractors, and other laborers doing non-essential work on Sundays in 1741.  The city authorities ultimately determined it was not a crime, although public opinion varied.)  Another issue centered around the closing of a play, deemed obscene, which was  intended to be performed in February of 1910 at the Academy of Music.  Chief Stell and a group of officers, on the order of the mayor, took the keys to the Academy and refused to allow the play to go on.  Lawsuits filed against the Mayor and Chief Stell would continue until May of 1913, when they were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Chief Stell held office until May of 1913, when he was dismissed by the newly elected Commissioner of Public Safety King.  Stell would go on to serve a number of years as a Collector of Internal Revenue for North Carolina, continuing his work enforcing prohibition.  He also ran for Sheriff of Wake County in 1914, but was defeated.