A native Washingtonian, Chanel was born at Columbia Hospital for Women and graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School. Her mom passed in 1978 and Chanel grew up with her father, brother, and half-sister. Her brother also became a police officer. Chanel attended the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) for two years and dropped out. She worked at K-Mart, Filene's Basement, and SunTrust before she applied to the police academy. She was still living at home when she was accepted and attended the program at Blue Plains in southwest D.C. The experience opened her eyes to areas of the city that she had never visited. Her first assignment was in southwest at the First District Station. In her early years, police communication was only through the dispatcher. There were no computers, unlike now. She stayed in this position for five years and observed the experienced senior officers, each with a different teaching method and skill. She moved on to the Vice Unit and participated in drug raids and jump-outs. She experienced the first major southwest redevelopment and the crack cocaine era. She also learned more about the court system, deeper investigation, and follow-up. After four or five years, she became a detective and was assigned to the Special Victims Unit. Her primary responsibility now is to investigate the indirect deaths of children under the age of 12.