DEKALB COUNTY, GA—DeKalb County Police Chief Mirtha Ramos is on paid administrative depart and Assistant Chief Greg Padrick has been appointed interim chief, DeKalb County’s newly-elected CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson confirmed on Thursday, Feb. 20.
The adjustments in management within the Police Division unfolded throughout a press convention that Cochran-Johnson had scheduled on the South Precinct. Cochran-Johnson had referred to as the press convention to debate particulars about bolstering the Police Division’s recruitment and retention efforts, positioning DeKalb to develop into the highest-paid police division within the metro Atlanta area. Nevertheless, information of Ramos’ sudden administrative depart dominated the assembly as reporters pressed Cochran-Johnson for particulars regarding Ramos, DeKalb’s first black feminine chief.
Cochran-Johnson mentioned she couldn’t present particulars on Ramos’ administrative depart as a result of it’s a personnel matter. Nonetheless, reporters requested if there was a conflict, and if a search could be performed for a brand new chief to no avail.
“…Chief Ramos is on administrative depart. I can not converse to, nor can I reply for any press launch that was despatched out by a second occasion. And because it pertains to issues of personnel, we don’t touch upon issues of personnel. She is at present on administrative depart,” Cochran-Johnson acknowledged.
A PR agency representing Ramos had introduced in a information launch on Thursday round midday—simply forward of Cochran’s 1:30 p.m. press convention—that Ramos was stepping down however later clarified that Ramos was not resigning. Former DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond employed Ramos in 2019 after she had served within the Miami-Dade Police Division for 22 years. She grew to become DeKalb’s first feminine and longest-serving police chief in over 20 years, the press launch acknowledged.
Padrick(pronounced Pay-drick) mentioned that Thursday was his first day as interim police chief. He mentioned he has been with the DeKalb Police Division for greater than 27 years, serving as assistant chief for the previous six years. He mentioned that he plans to hold on the division’s technique that’s in place whereas he’s serving as interim chief.
“The DeKalb County Police Division hasn’t modified simply because I’m standing right here earlier than you at this time because the interim police chief. We’ve accomplished a great job over plenty of years,” Padrick instructed the media. “We do a whole lot of totally different work all through the group . We incorporate group policing not solely being concerned with communities however we actually dive into the statistics—our hotspot policing, our public policing, so we hold a really intensive technique shifting ahead, and that’s not going to alter.
Presently, the DeKalb County Police Division has 515 sworn officers. There are 835 funded positions, amounting to a deficit of 320 unfilled positions that shall be focused for recruitment, Cochran-Johnson mentioned. The division plans to fund the recruitment and renting efforts with cash already budgeted for paying triple time to officers.
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Right here’s the hyperlink to the portion of the press convention the place Cochran-Johnson fielded questions on Ramos’ administrative depart:
Right here’s the hyperlink to the start of the press convention in regards to the Police Division’s recruitment and retention efforts:
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