CHARLES RAMSAY'S BROTHER GORDON, IS NAMED DULUTH POLICE CHIEF Mark Stodghill
Duluth News Tribune
Published Thursday, November 30, 2006
Gordon Ramsay knew he wanted to be a cop since he was a boy. As a sophomore at Duluth East High School, he visited then-Duluth Police Chief Eli Miletich in his office. "I had a neighbor who was a cop and he was complaining about how poor morale was in the department," Ramsay said. "As part of Mr. [David] Reinertsen’s government class at East, we had to write a letter to a government official on some issue. I wrote to Chief Miletich and asked him why he was allowing poor morale in the police department. He invited me in and told me some of the things he had done, such as being the first to promote women in policing. He then asked me what I wanted to do. I don’t know where it came from, but I said, ‘I want to sit in your chair some day.’ " Ramsay made it to that chair Wednesday when Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson named him the city’s chief of police. At 34, he is believed to be the youngest police chief in Duluth history.
Now he's responsible for the morale of the 146-member department and the safety of his hometown.
Ramsay replaces Chief Tim Hanson, who retires today along with Deputy Chief Patricia Behning.Ramsay has been a police officer for 14 years, most recently as lieutenant and commander of the Central Division, the busiest, largest, most populous and diverse division in the city. "I will work tirelessly to build a coalition with our police officers and citizens to ensure our neighborhood policing programs are the most innovative and successful in the nation," Ramsay said. "We have an incredibly talented and hard-working staff. I will work to make sure they have the tools and training to do the best job possible." Ramsay has a Master of Arts degree in management from the College of St. Scholastica and a bachelor’s degree in criminology and sociology from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He worked two years with the Iron River Police Department and two years as a Delafield, Wis., police officer in suburban Milwaukee before joining the Duluth force in 1996. "Wow! What an excellent choice," said Roger Waller, who retired as Duluth police chief on Sept. 30. "He’s a young guy that lives, breathes, walks and talks community policing. I couldn’t think of a better choice. He will take the department to the next level and do an outstanding job for the community." Sgt. Jon Haataja, president of the Duluth police union, said his membership is looking forward to developing a good working relationship with Ramsay. "Gordon’s been my supervisor for the last year as downtown lieutenant and I’ve been one of his sergeants. We both respect each other. He’s willing to listen when we have problems and he’s willing to work toward getting the problems resolved before they get out of control. We’re looking forward to continuing our relationship of problem solving." Claudie Washington, president of the Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota branches of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was pleased with Ramsay’s selection. "I’ve had a good working relationship with him in the past and believe he will make a good chief," Washington said. "I think that Gordon, based on my experience, has been fairly open and I’ve seen him reach out to do a good job of community policing within the hillside. I would just like to congratulate him and look forward to working with him in the future." Kristi Stokes, president of the Greater Downtown Council, called Ramsay a natural leader who takes an innovative approach in solving problems. Bergson and Chief Administrative Officer John Hall said they sought input from throughout the community —citizens, prosecutors, minority and advocacy groups and businesses — before choosing Ramsay from the three finalists for the position. "In the end, Gordon did a great job of presenting and selling his innovative ideas along with his priorities for the department, which include having a strong community policing program and working with our communities of color," Bergson said. "It also didn’t hurt that the youthful energy Gordon has is truly amazing." Bergson drove to Ramsay’s home Tuesday night to tell him he was the pick as chief over fellow Lt. John Beyer and retired deputy chief Robert Grytdahl, the other finalists among the eight candidates who were interviewed. Bergson and Hall said Beyer and Grytdahl both would have made good chiefs as well. Ramsay agreed. "They’re both dedicated to policing," Ramsay said of Beyer and Grytdahl. "They are and were leaders in the department. They helped give us the reputation that we have." Retired Duluth police Chief Scott Lyons hired Ramsay in 1996. "He’s a bright officer and in every assignment he’s done extremely well," Lyons said. "He’s always wanted to be the best. He’s always wanted to get education and training. He’s always been extremely self-motivated. That has played itself out with this appointment." A reporter walked into Lyons’ office about eight years ago after working with Ramsay on a newspaper story. The reporter told Lyons that he thought Ramsay was a "sharp troop" and bet that Ramsay would make chief within 15 years. Lyons replied: "Ten years." Ramsay made it to the top even quicker. MARK STODGHILL covers public safety and courts. He can be reached weekdays at (218) 723-5333 or by e-mail at mstodghill@duluthnews.com |
