New police director to focus on gun violence and the health of his 4,100 employees
Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez, who has spent the past seven years at the side of Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez, was named his successor Wednesday. He promised to focus on gun violence and the health of his police officers.
Ramirez, 49, was appointed and introduced by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez in a packed conference room at police headquarters in Doral.
“I was inspired by his energy, his passion, his intelligence,” said the mayor.
Standing next to his family, and after a lengthy hug from Perez, the next Miami-Dade police director called it a “special moment” and said he wanted to continue the legacy of his predecessors.
“The day that I die, I will be buried in this uniform right here,” he told the crowd.
Ramirez, who has been with the department since 1995, will take the reins Monday of one of the largest policing agencies in the southeastern U.S. Perez, who turns 52 this month, is retiring after a 30-year career, the last four leading the department. He’s been coy about his future, leaving open the possibility of a run for elected office, even for county sheriff in 2024.
Miami-Dade had for decades avoided politicizing the police director’s post, leaving it as an appointed position by the mayor. But the Florida Legislature forced the county’s hand last year after voters decided in a statewide referendum that Miami-Dade should have an elected sheriff.
That means Ramirez’s stint could be a relatively short one. If he wants to stay on the job, he’d have to run for election in 2024. But that’s not what the new director wanted to focus on Wednesday. Instead, he said he will look to continue a public safety initiative to cut down on violence and take care of the more than 3,000 sworn officers he now oversees.
“I am extremely humble for the opportunity to lead this agency and continue the legacy of my predecessors,” Ramirez said. “My top priority is to keep my officers and my community safe and I look forward to continue working with all of you to achieve our goals.”
Ramirez, who was joined Wednesday by his wife, Jody, and two of his four children, joined the agency nearly 25 years ago. He moved through the ranks from a patrol officer in the county’s southern end to posts leading the department’s training institute and serving in criminal investigations, homicide and narcotics.
His appointment did not come as a surprise. Ramirez had been groomed for the post the past half-decade, serving at Perez’s side and named deputy director in 2018.
Ramirez, a graduate of the University of Miami who met his wife when they both attended Sunset Senior High School, said he has soaked in the difficulties in overseeing such a large department the past few years, watching Perez make “some of the hardest decisions that a police chief could make.”
The soon-to-be-director’s son Brandon Ramirez is also a county cop, a member of the department’s Priority Response Team, a newly created quick strike task force that essentially roams the county and which was formed after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Senior High mass shooting in Parkland on Valentine’s Day 2018.
Freddy Ramirez is taking over a department that has been relatively scandal-free in recent years — though it has come under recent criticism for actions by some officers during a shootout in Pembroke Pines in early December. Miami-Dade police along with officers from several other agencies pursued two men who ripped off a high-end jeweler in Coral Gables, then carjacked a UPS truck while holding the driver hostage.
When the truck finally came to a stop in Miramar, police returned fire from the two carjackers, several taking cover behind cars stuck at a busy intersection. The jewel thieves and the UPS driver were killed during the shootout, as was an innocent bystander in his car. More than a month after the tragedy, it’s still unclear whose bullet killed the man stuck in his car. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating.
Ramirez will also oversee police coverage during this year’s Super Bowl, which will take place in early February at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Perez, who ushered in an era of police body-worn cameras and led the department in a move toward high-tech gadgetry, called his four years “a great ride.”
“And now,” said Perez, “it’s time for me to step aside. This department is ready to move forward and we have a great succession plan.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 2:08 PM.
