OUPD Chief Ramirez quits after being accused of harassment

by Mae Kowalke
Staff Writer
mae.kowalke@ohiou.edu

Ohio University Police Chief Stephen Ramirez resigned from his position last month after being disciplined for sexually harassing a female co-worker.

Ramirez was put on a week of unpaid leave from Dec. 2 to Dec. 6 and ordered to attend management training. After the story broke in local media, he stepped down.

In his resignation letter, dated Dec. 18, Ramirez said that the allegations against him had created a hostile work environment and put unbearable strain on his family.

"The stress and pain that I and my family have felt is more than we can bear, and therefore my only recourse is to offer this resignation," Ramirez wrote.

Ramirez could not be reached for further comment.

Ramirez’s former supervisor, Gary North, vice president for administration at OU, made the decision to honor the remainder of Ramirez’s contract, which expires June 30. This means that Ramirez will receive the remainder of his $81,068 salary for the 2002-03 fiscal year.

Tony Camechis, associate director of campus safety, was named acting chief of Ohio University Police Department. Camechis is a veteran law enforcement officer who has been with campus safety for nine years, said OU spokeswoman Leesa Brown.

Selection of a permanent chief likely will made in 6-10 months, North said.

"(Ramirez’s resignation) was the best thing under the circumstances, in terms of the future of the organization," North said.

Ramirez’s wife, Elizabeth Ramirez, also resigned Dec. 18 from her position as assistant for the vice president for finance.

Teresa Trussell, a former OUPD employee, filed a formal complaint against Ramirez on August 27. She now is an employee of parking services.

In her complaint, Trussell said that over the course of her employment with OUPD, from November 2001 to July 2002, Ramirez attempted to establish a sexual relationship with her and used the possibility of a promotion to keep her from disclosing the harassment.

In his written response to Trussell's complaint, Ramirez said that her allegations were either "grossly distorted" or "entirely fabricated," including the claim that he sexually propositioned her, which he called "absolutely false."

The complaint was filed shortly after Parking Services, the OUPD department where Trussell worked, split from OUPD and moved from Scott Quad to Factory Street. In a statement of support for Ramirez, Paige D. Alost, assistant director of admission for OU, suggested that Trussell might have fabricated her allegations because she was unhappy about the relocation of her department.

Before his resignation, Ramirez appealed the findings of the Office of Institutional Equity, the unit that investigated the complaint, claiming that the investigation was biased.

William Y. Smith, director of Institutional Equity, said he believes that Ramirez objected to the way in which Trussell’s complaint was handled because he compared the process to a criminal investigation.

"This is not a criminal investigation. By definition it is different," he said.

Smith also said that Ramirez’s objections did not constitute a formal appeal because he did not challenge the disciplinary action.

"(An) appeal assumes that you are actively (saying), "This is not correct, and it should be changed." If you accept the sanctions, what are you appealing?" Smith said.

Brown said that the complaint was handled properly according to the university’s policy on harassment.

"The university got the complaint, they took it seriously, (and) they followed the book,” Brown said. “All the parties involved had a chance to put forward their side of the story."

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