Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Interim City Manager John Sheedy announced Thursday he has offered the position of Del Rio police chief to Port Arthur Police Department Lt. Frank Ramirez.
Ramirez was one of four finalists for the position of Del Rio Police Department chief. The three other candidates were Aaron Vernon Ausmus, Robert “Bobby” Guzman Jr. and Richard “Rick” Roman. Ausmus most recently served as chief of the Angleton (Texas) Police Department, as well as the city’s interim and assistant emergency management coordinator, and Guzman and Roman are both currently captains at the Del Rio Police Department.
The police chief position opened earlier this year when former DRPD Chief Fred Knoll Jr. retired.
Sheedy told the 830 Times Thursday he has offered the position to Ramirez, and Ramirez has accepted.
Sheedy said all of the four finalists were strong candidates.
“I think Mr. Ramirez was very on point with his responses during the video response section of the hiring process and in doing the personal interview, and he provided good answers about working with everyone in the department. He was always focused on the big picture regarding the department and the community,” Sheedy said.
“He mentioned over and over that he wants to be the community’s chief, wants to be everyone’s chief, and he had a philosophy about transparency that I really liked,” Sheedy added.
The city manager said he believes Ramirez “has the experience that is going to be most in line with what will benefit our police department.”
Sheedy said he also listened to the opinions of the three other members of a review panel that assisted in interviewing the candidates and reviewing their application documents. The three other review panel members were Assistant City Manager Manuel Chavez, Acting Fire Department Chief David Harrison and Acting Police Department Chief Daniel Busken.
Ramirez has served in numerous positions with the Port Arthur Police Department since 1997. He has served as interim deputy chief and as assistant chief for the Port Arthur department.
Sheedy said the final selection was difficult.
“I guess the primary criteria that I used to make the final selection was who would have the greatest chance of succeeding and leading our police department into a new era of accountability and professionalism and creating a positive workplace environment,” Sheedy said.
Sheedy said Ramirez’s appointment must now be taken before the Del Rio City Council for confirmation, adding the confirmation will be on the agenda of the council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 14.
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