New DeKalb County Police Chief Ready To ‘Hit The Ground Running’
Mirtha Ramos was introduced as the new police chief in DeKalb County. She is the first woman to hold that position in the county’s history.
Emil Moffat / WABE
DeKalb County officially introduced its new police chief Monday.
Mirtha Ramos, who comes from the Miami-Dade police department where she served for 22 years, is the first woman to hold the title of police chief in DeKalb County.
“It’s been an honor to see other female police chiefs across the nation, getting promoted and being successful and that has motivated me,” she said.
Ramos comes to DeKalb County with no ties to the Atlanta area.
“I’m coming into a county that I’m not familiar with,” she said. “So I have to learn the county, which means I’ll be digging and prodding. Stopping by neighboring businesses and just saying ‘hi’. Different things that I would want the officers to be doing. I’m definitely going to hit the ground running.”
Ramos says she’ll bring with her the experience she’s gleaned from her two decades on the force in Florida, where she most recently served as a division chief.
“A lot of times we don’t educate the public, we just expect them to know. So I think I want to take the time to educate, bring awareness to and incentivize their cooperation with us,” said Ramos. “When you create that bond of trust, it definitely makes everything else a little bit easier.”
Ramos says she was drawn to DeKalb County, in part, by its diversity. Ramos grew up in Philadelphia, has roots in Puerto Rico and is bilingual.
“We don’t want anyone to feel neglected. I want to make sure all the communities know that I’m here. Whether it’s English or Spanish. I don’t want anyone to feel that they aren’t going to be treated fairly in DeKalb County,” she said.
Ramos starts in early November.
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