Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez determined to become sheriff
MIAMI - Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez III says he is determined to become Sheriff of the County.
As the 52 year-old Ramirez met with CBS News Miami's Peter D'Oench, he said, "I want to be Sheriff to protect our department and protect out community, to protect relationships we have built over the years that we have made. I grew up in this department. I grew up in this community. I can't let this go away."
Ramirez said, "I am on a mission to be Sheriff. This is not about me or my title as Sheriff. This is a duty. This is about protecting the legacy of the police department and protecting our community and protecting the trust and making sure that no one is left behind."
A constitutional amendment requires that Miami-Dade elect a Sheriff next year. The county has not had an elected Sheriff since 1966, when the position was eliminated after a corruption scandal.
Ramirez was first appointed Police Director in 2020 and started his career with Miami-Dade Police as a beat cop in 1995 and has worked his way through every rank. He went from being Police Director in 2020 to Chief of Public Safety between February and July of 2022 and then returned as Police Director.
He currently supervises more than 4200 officers and civilian employees with Miami-Dade Police and 2,800 employees with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. He is a father of four children and a grandfather.
He said, "The priorities are the welfare of the community and to make sure we continue the trust built with the community. It is why we have such a great reputation. I have worked at every rank in this department from sergeant to Director and now as Chief of Public Safety. I grew up in this department and I know the history of this department. I know the needs and I know what it takes to have relationships with other figures to find a consensus to make sure we work together and move forward."
He said he would not assign his officers to go on missions scouring the county for undocumented illegal immigrants.
"We enforce the laws and I believe the scope of a metropolitan police department is to ensure that nobody is afraid to call police if they are victimized by a crime. I do not want people not to call us if they think there is going to be an immigration ramification against them. My priority is to have trust and a connection with everyone, in the community, if undocumented or not, it doesn't matter but I will tell you this, whether undocumented or documented, if you break the law you are going to jail," he said.
Ramirez also said he is concerned about a new law effective July 1st allowing people to carry guns without a concealed weapons license.
"I respect everyone's right to carry firearms but I do have concerns for my officers," he said. "I do have concerns for the community. I have concerns about irresponsible gun ownership. I have concerns about people taking action on their own to resolve grievances."
Two other candidates have announced they are running for Sheriff.
Ramirez would face Rickey Mitchell, a retired Miami-Dade Police Officer, in the August primary. And Miami Police Officer Ruamen de la Rua is running as a Republican candidate.