Episode 71 Dallas Police Assistant Chief Reuben Ramirez #7345  From Idea to Implementation

 Welcome back ATO family and welcome on Dallas Police Assistant Chief Reuben Ramirez who commands the Tactical Support Division. The Units under his command include Dallas SWAT, Gang Unit, Narcotics Division, Fugitive Unit, Mounted, K-9, Traffic/Motors and the Helicopter Unit.

He started Dallas PD in 1995 and went to the Southwest Division and quickly engaged in proactive policing with the amazing Southwest 4040’s Unit. This unit made a reputation as being the go to team as the most effective crime fighters in that division.

He has worked many units within the Dept that include undercover Narcotics, Major Crimes Unit, PIU, Internal Affairs, Crimes Against Persons Bureau Commander and now over Tactical Operations Bureau Commander.

All of this experience, at different levels of command, different types of people, has helped Reuben grow as a person and a professional and also open his mind to a systemic issue in the American policing model in handling officers’ mental health after long term exposure to trauma.

Fast forward to 2021 Dallas Chief gave Ramirez an assignment to gauge the Dallas Police Department’s overall approach to caring for their employees.

After several months of meeting, focus groups, and building a core team to help put his vision in motion the Dallas Police Wellness Unit was born.

Just under a year in existence the Unit has seen early success and is continuing to gain steam to be the leaders and standard to change the mindset in its approach to first responder wellness.

Chief Ramirez wrote a manuscript that was published in the International Association of Chief of Police (IACP) magazine on the implementation of the Dallas Police Wellness Unit for the month of May, Mental Health Awareness Month.

In March of 2023 Reuben drafted Texas House Bill 3858 to incentivize other Texas Police agencies to create a wellness unit that proactively supports the mental health of their employees for years to come. At time of this episodes release it has passed the Texas House and Senate and is on its way to the Texas Governor's desk to sign.

He also created Church Safety Ministry, after a church shooting in Southerland Springs Texas, to provide protocol to church members to survive if attacked. 

 In this episode we will break down this article and listen to Chiefs vision on how he wants this Checkpoint model to become infectious beyond Dallas County to help change a culture, break stigmas, and show vulnerability is not weakness in the policing profession.

This episode begins with a story from over 20 years ago and by the time you finish it you will see that Reuben took a tragedy and is now implementing and idea to benefit generations of first responders.

 Welcome Chief Ramirez to the ATO stage.

Link to the IACP article:

From Idea to Implementation - Police Chief Magazine