Reuben Ramirez served for 29 years with the Dallas Police Department and is a retired Assistant Chief. He retired in 2024 after serving as the Commander of the Patrol Operations Bureau. Chief Ramirez also served as the Dallas Police Department’s Legislative Affairs Coordinator, where he represented the concerns and interests of Law Enforcement throughout the state to the Texas State Legislature. A role he has held since 2015.

Reuben has served DPD in various other capacities as well. Previously, he was the commander of the Tactical and Special Operations Bureau, and the commander of the Criminal Investigations Bureau. He has also served as the division commander over the Crimes Against Persons, Physical Evidence, and the Internal Affairs Division. He has held command responsibilities over criminal intelligence, major crimes, and special investigative assignments throughout the Dallas Police Department.

In Fall 2021, Reuben began working on a project that would change the entire culture of the Dallas Police Department. The strategy would aim to break stigmas, save careers, support officers’ families and save lives. He is responsible for building and setting up the Dallas Police Departments Wellness Unit and the renowned “Checkpoint Strategy” it operates by.

Reuben designed and developed the Checkpoint Strategy, which develops and deploys informal leaders within the department to conduct wellness “checkpoints” on staff every time they respond to impactful calls. They conduct an average of 200 checkpoints a month. The checkpoints have led to a normalization and receptiveness of the importance of emotional health throughout the department. The program encourages counseling services as a solution to help process the vast amounts of secondary trauma officers consume and makes the services available to officers and their families without cost. The Checkpoint Strategy has generated interest worldwide and receives requests from departments around the world looking for guidance to set up their first responder wellness programs.



Reuben is the author of the book, Checkpoints: The Blueprint to Emotional Health for First Responders. Chief Ramirez is currently developing new projects and strategies to build healthier culture withing organizations that enhance recruitment, retention, and the overall lives of first responders around the world.