Robert Ernest Goodwin joined the Raleigh Police Department on September 8, 1939. Prior to that, he sold groceries. Although he began as a patrolman, he was transferred to the City-County Investigation Bureau on 1941 work with fingerprints. In October of 1944, he was promoted to Detective Sergeant while continuing to work with the CCIB. In the spring of 1945, due to a shortage of manpower brought on by World War II, he worked as a desk sergeant. He was promoted to Captain of Detectives in October of 1945.
On October 4, 1971, Robert Goodwin was named as the new police chief, just 12 days after the death of Tom Davis. He stated that he had no immediate plans to bring major changes to the department. Less than a week later, however, he began to form a juvenile squad, citing the need for a group to fill in the gap left by a change in court systems three years previously. (Once, the juvenile court had done pre-trial investigations of living conditions for “problem juveniles,” but now that power had been taken away.)
In March of 1972, Chief Goodwin made a larger change in the police department, reorganizing it into two divisions --- Field Operations, which included patrolmen and detectives, and special services, which was composed of vice and narcotics squads, community relations, and two new groups -- consumer protection services and juvenile services. In July of 1974, he requested funding for a tactical squad which would become Raleigh’s first Special Enforcement Unit.
In the same month, after a city council member began discussing whether the police needed an external review board, made up of civilians, he made his opposition to the idea know. Citing the potential damage to morale, and seeing it as political interference into policing, he instead formed an in-house police board consisting of several high-ranking officers. Although the mayor supported a review board consisting of both civilians and officers, the Chief was also opposed to that idea.
In 1975, however, dissension within the department was becoming problematic. Officers had complaints about pay rates, leadership, and other issues. By August, there were calls for his resignation. He did not wish to resign, and the City Manager did not ask for that, voicing his support for Chief Goodwin. Instead, a study of the police was instituted by an independent company, to see what changes needed to be made. Responding to the police study that had been conducted, the police department reorganized from three into two divisions in June of 1976. Patrol, investigations, vice, and narcotics squads would all fall into the Field Operations division. Special Services, renamed Services Division, would provide support for Field Operations and encompass records, planning, training, and vehicle maintenance. This was done to create a better balance of power and function.
Chief Robert Goodwin retired on December 31, 1978, after serving almost 40 years with the department. At his celebration, he received several awards and plaques, including one from the US Secret Service. He died on February 4, 1992. He was remembered by former colleagues as an “easy-going, low-key bear of a man,” devoted to the police department and to law enforcement.