"I didn’t do it," thought Ramirez, sure he was about to be blamed for something. As he explains it, "Back then, law enforcement was not a friend of the Hispanic community. "

Until then, Ramirez's goal was to be a physical education teacher and work with youth. But his meeting with the Police Chief that day changed his life -- and his future career.

Police Chief Bob Prinslow wanted Ramirez to help police build relations with teen-agers. "I needed him," Prinslow later said. "There was a lot of juvenile crime at the time and I wanted a leader to help me. Raul was a natural."

Ramirez became the department’s first police cadet and was later hired as a part-time dispatcher. Prinslow was the Marion County Under Sheriff when Ramirez was hired as a deputy twenty-six years ago. The two have remained friends and Prinslow has been Ramirez's mentor, watching proudly as Ramirez replaced him as Marion County Sheriff in 1997.

Ramirez and his younger brothers grew up in a Texas migrant farm worker family. Raising the Ramirez children in the mixed Mexican - Black ghetto neighborhood of Dallas, Texas proved a challenge for the family. When Ramirez was thirteen years old his parents made the decision to relocate their family to Oregon in an effort to provide a safer and stable home for them.

In the fall of 1964, their first Oregon home was at a migrant camp two miles north of the community of Hubbard. The six members of the family lived in a single-room, wood cabin, large enough for two wood framed bunk beds, a wood stove for cooking and heat, and a refrigerator.

Life was difficult, but it brought the family members closer to each other. Over the years, Ramirez and his brothers helped the family financially by working in the fields alongside their parents.

Growing up in Hubbard and Woodburn, Ramirez believes his character and core values were shaped and influenced by his mother, Petra, and four significant mentors in his life. His mother provided nurturing and taught him to be humble, caring and respectful. His mentors, who exposed him to civic and community volunteerism, were leaders in the Woodburn area: Police Chief Robert Prinslow, business owner Leon Vetter, and his teacher/coaches Dale Yuranek and Pat Carey.

Ramirez met his wife Roberta when they both worked at the Sheriff’s Office. Over the years she has helped and supported him in his career and commitment to the community. They have made their home in Salem where their children attend school. As parents, their children’s activities have always had first priority. Ramirez has also been active coaching football, basketball, and baseball. The family attends Morning Star Community Church where Ramirez is an usher.

During his career, Ramirez has remained sensitive to Hispanic concerns. He has taught migrant workers about the law and given Spanish-language presentations. By promoting communication, he has helped diffuse community tensions after police shootings of minorities.

However, in taking on his new responsibilities in 1997, Ramirez did not emphasize the fact of his being the first Hispanic Marion County Sheriff, "There will be nothing new in the challenges, whether it is over-representation of Hispanics in the corrections system or the issue of how we deal with various ethnic communities. These are issues I have worked on throughout my career. "

"Good relations between the police and community provides the foundation for the safety and security of all of our neighborhoods throughout Marion County."

In speaking of the course his life has followed, from the migrant camps of Texas and Oregon, from the one-room cabin near Hubbard to his home in Salem, from the responsibilities of a son to those of a husband and father, from working in the fields to the office of Sheriff, Ramirez gives credit to his mother, Petra, and his wife, Roberta, for his success.

Compiled by Virginia Green

Bibliography:
This biographical information was supplied by Sheriff Ramirez.