Patterson is also a retired United States Air Force Brigadier General (Special Agent) and was the 14th Commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), Andrews AFB, MD.

As the AFOSI Commander, Patterson oversaw AFOSI's worldwide network of military and civilian special agents stationed at major Air Force installations and a variety of special operating locations.

[1][2] Patterson is a graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at Howard University.

[2] Patterson entered the United States Air Force in 1975 as a missile launch officer.

Patterson is a native of Washington, D.C.[2] Patterson is the recipient of the following:[2] After retiring from the U.S. Air Force, Patterson served in a variety of roles, such as a principal with Booz Allen Hamilton and Deputy Director of the Defense Counterintelligence and HUMINT Center at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), where he directed and conducted counterintelligence and human intelligence activities worldwide to meet the Department of Defense requirements.