New Duluth police chief, Gordon Ramsay, envisions strong community police program

By Naomi Yaeger-Bischoff

Caption: Dudley Edmondson, left, visited with Gordon Ramsay in November at a community event. In December, Ramsay was named Chief of Police in Duluth.

Duluth has a new Chief of Police, Gordon Ramsay. Ramsay is a champion of neighborhood programs and intends to invigorate the community policing and neighborhood watch programs. Ramsay was promoted from within the Duluth Police Department. He most recently served as a lieutenant in the Central Hillside.

Ramsay said he intends to apply the model that the domestic violence support program of Duluth uses. The Duluth program of coordinating police, court, and other agencies to deal with domestic violence is a model that is studied and copied around the world. “It’s a coordinated plan that works very well,” he said.

Rasmay said that it is the same 30 to 40 people who are causing the problems. A new model of working to end the problems would give the police the tools and the training to get those people off the streets or fear the punishment enough so that the crime would not be worth committing.
Some of these tools include helping citizens know what to write to prosecutors and starting neighborhood mini-court watches. A court watch means citizens actually attend court proceedings. Ramsay says the courts and prosecutors will begin to take cases more seriously when they see people who have been affected by crimes sitting in the courtroom.
“People think their problems end with the police,” said Ramsay. He said television shows and lack of knowledge contribute to the public’s idea that stopping crime all falls on the police. He said often times “the police know the trouble and pain individuals and neighborhoods are going through, but that feeling doesn’t get conveyed through the courts.”

When community policing takes a leading role in neighborhoods, people will get to know an individual officer. Ramsay hopes to have cops on bikes and in the neighborhoods meeting people. He said people feel more comfortable calling the police when they are familiar with the faces behind the phone. “Relationship building is huge,” said Ramsay.

Health Fair on Jan 25th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church

On Thurs., Jan. 25, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will hold a free Health and Fitness Fair in the church hall at 1710 East Superior Street (enter at the lower door on Greysolon).
A wide variety of booths offer information, free samples, and goodies for all ages and interests, along with checking blood pressures, massages, and a healthy free dinner.
Participants include Whole Foods Co-op with recipes and samples of healthy food; St. Luke’s Hospital on nutrition and childhood obesity; St. Mary’s Hospital Skin Wellness Center; The Arthritis Foundation; The American Cancer Society; Organ Donation; American Diabetes Association and the Alzheimer’s Association.
Superior Balance will have free balance tests for older adults, Tadasana Massage will give massages, and Chum social workers will provide information on services. Also, Lake Superior Community Health Center will provide information on services, and the Environmental Association provides environmental information for Great Lakes Education. Healthy foods will be served, childcare is available, and there will be a special children’s area with games and activities that promote healthy lifestyles for children