DeKalb police chief says she was relieved of duties despite drop in crime

“I didn’t expect it to be done this way,” Ramos said.

The police department’s second-in-command, Gregory Padrick, has been named interim chief, according to DeKalb government spokesperson Dionna Smith.

A spokesperson for Cochran-Johnson said late Friday her office could not comment on personnel matters.

“Due to the nature of the employee/employer relationship, we are not permitted to comment on matters of personnel as an operation of law,” the spokesperson said in an email.

Ramos says she understands that Cochran-Johnson has the right to choose who leads the police department. But Ramos said she is disappointed that her career with DeKalb was abruptly cut short, despite her dedication to her work.

“For five years, I’ve given and committed everything of myself to the department and to the community,” she said. “I’m not mad. I’m actually hurt and disappointed that five years of my career was over in five minutes. Less than a minute for every year is what I was given.”

Ramos, 53, took over as DeKalb’s chief in November 2019 after 22 years with the Miami-Dade Police Department. She said she took over the department during a tough time: months before the pandemic hit.

Credit: Phil Skinner

Credit: Phil Skinner

During her first year as chief, crime increased as it did across the country, Ramos said. But the increase wasn’t as drastic in DeKalb, she said.

According to data previously released to the AJC, DeKalb police investigated 129 homicides in 2020, up slightly from 125 in 2019. In January 2021, then-CEO Michael Thurmond said anxiety and fear over the coronavirus or finances contributed to the violence.

“One of the challenges that police departments are having right now is that they can’t interact with the public like they usually do,” he said. “Our goal is to eliminate homicides in DeKalb.”

DeKalb police officers and firefighters, along with recruits, distributed food and masks in an effort to interact with vulnerable groups during the pandemic, Thurmond said.

“We didn’t have those extreme fluctuations and increases in crime like most agencies throughout the nation had,” Ramos said. “We had agencies that were experiencing 30, 40 and 50% increases and we were staying in the single digits for amount of increases (in crime). For me, I count that as a success.”

In 2024, DeKalb police saw a 13% decrease in violent crime and property crime, Ramos said. So far this year, DeKalb officers have seen a 77.3% reduction in homicides over this time last year. Through the first seven weeks of 2025, officers have investigated five homicides, she said.

“That is a reflection of all of the hard work that has been done over the years, and now we’re starting to see the results of all of that dedication,” Ramos said. “While we’ve been short in staff, we have not been short in service. We’ve been providing even more service than we have in the past.”

Earlier this week, Cochran-Johnson rolled out a plan for an investment of $10.4 million in recruiting and retention. The county has 841 sworn positions funded, but only 531 of those jobs are filled, meaning more than a third of the force’s positions are vacant.

The hard work of her officers has led to positive changes, Ramos said. She’s not sure just yet what her next move will be. But Ramos says she wants a role that will value her as a dedicated, committed and hardworking person.

— Staff writer Reed Williams contributed to this story.