DeKalb police chief withdraws from consideration for Austin, Texas job

DeKalb County Police Chief Mirtha Ramos, at podium, leads a press conference Thursday, March 18, 2021 announcing the reunion of 1-year-old Royalty Grisby with her mother after the child was taken by a 14-year-old in a stolen car 12 hours earlier.  (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Jenni Girtman

Credit: Jenni Girtman

DeKalb County Police Chief Mirtha Ramos, at podium, leads a press conference Thursday, March 18, 2021 announcing the reunion of 1-year-old Royalty Grisby with her mother after the child was taken by a 14-year-old in a stolen car 12 hours earlier. (Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

DeKalb County police chief Mirtha Ramos appears to be sticking around.

Ramos announced in a Wednesday morning statement that she had withdrawn her name from consideration to be the next police chief in Austin, Texas. She had been one of seven finalists for the job.

“I appreciate the opportunity to continue working with DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, Public Safety Director Joseph Lumpkin and the courageous men and women of the police department as we use American Rescue Plan funding to implement our strategic plan to transform law enforcement,” Ramos said in her emailed statement.

No further explanation was provided.

Ramos became DeKalb County’s first female police chief in Nov. 2019, following a more than two-decade career in Miami.

Her candidacy for the job in Texas’ capital city came to light in June. She was named a finalist late last month.

Other listed finalists included interim Austin PD chief Joseph Chacon and Celeste Murphy — a deputy chief with the Atlanta Police Department.

It was not immediately clear if Murphy was still in the running for the job.

Austin officials previously said they hoped to make a hiring decision by the end of August.