DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - The Miami-Dade Police Department has appointed a new director.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez made the announcement at the department’s headquarters in Doral, Wednesday morning.
“The new director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, Alfredo Ramirez,” Gimenez said as the new appointee stood up, waved and gave a thumbs up to the audience before joining the mayor at the podium.
Alfredo Ramirez will succeed Juan Perez as part of a succession that has been in place for years.
“I’m inspired by his energy, his passion, his intelligence and his humility,” Gimenez said.
Ramirez has been with the department for more than two decades. He rose through the ranks before he spent the last two years as deputy director.
“We’re going to build off of what my friend Juan created,” Ramirez said. “He already modernized the way we police this community.”
The appointment comes just weeks after Perez decided it was time to go.
“It’s been a great ride, folks, and now it’s time for me to step aside,” Perez said.
Perez announced his retirement on Dec. 20 after nearly three decades with the department and four years as director. He will step down Jan. 12.
That announcement came weeks after a highway shootout in Miramar between multiple law enforcement agencies, including MDPD officers, and two men who, police said, carjacked a UPS driver after robbing a jewelry store in Coral Gables.
The department came under scrutiny because the UPS delivery driver and another innocent civilian were fatally struck in the gunfire exchange.
But Perez said the incident had no bearing on his decision.
“That was probably the worst tragedy that we’ve seen in a long time in our community, but that has nothing to do with it,” Perez said in a December interview. “It’s just the timing of everything.”
Perez indicated his plan was always to retire in 2020.
During his years as director, Perez implemented new technology, including a gunfire tracking system and body cameras on all officers. There has also been a reduction in youth crime, and there is now a police presence in every school.
“This department is ready to move forward. We have a great succession plan, and I sat with Freddy, and I told him, ‘It’s not about my shoes that you have to fill. You walk on your own feet with your own shoes, and you create your own path,'” said Perez. “I have no doubt that this community will continue to succeed and be one of the best agencies in this country.”
Moving forward, Ramirez said, he hopes to focus on officer wellness and curbing gun violence.
“I’m extremely humbled by this opportunity to lead this agency and continue the legacy of my predecessors,” he said. “My top priority is to keep my officers in my community safe.”
Stephen Hunter Johnson, the chairman of the Miami-Dade Black Affairs Advisory Board, weighed in on the appointment.
“He has some very large shoes to fill, but we are looking forward to an era of cooperation and coordination for the betterment of the entire community,” he said, “particularly for the black community of Miami-Dade County.”
The newly appointed director said he’s ready for the job.
“The lives of men and women of our department and the community are on my hands,” Ramirez said. “They were on Juan’s, and now they’re on mine, and I respect that deeply. I love my departments, I love my officers, I love my civilian staff, just like I love my family, and the day that I die, I will be buried in this uniform right here, just so you know.”
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