Dublin names Cameron Ray as its new police chief. Here are a few things about him you might not know
By SARA VANDEN BERGE
Cameron Ray officially became Dublin’s newest police chief on Monday night – and he couldn’t be more excited.
“I’m blessed to say the least. The fact that the Dublin City Council put its faith in me means a lot,” said the 29-year-old police chief. “We have a great group of people working at the department and it’s going to be an honor to supervise and manage them.”
Erath County Sheriff Matt Coates said he is looking forward to working with Ray.
“He is very driven and always has the community’s best interest at heart,” Coates said.
Ray, who most recently served as a lieutenant, has worked for the Dublin Police Department for three years.
He will now oversee nine officers, six dispatchers, one code enforcement officer and three reserve officers.
MORE ABOUT CHIEF RAY: • Ray grew up in Erath County and graduated from Lingleville High School in 2009.
• He has been a volunteer with the Lingleville Fire Department since he was a teenager. (His dad is the chief.)
• Ray graduated from Tarleton State University in 2011 with a degree in criminal justice.
• After college he attended Hill College Police Academy.
• Ray might be young, but he has already attained a lot of experience in law enforcement. He has worked in dispatch, patrol, investigations and even served a short stint as a school resource officer.
RAY’S PLANS FOR THE DEPARTMENT
Ray said he is proud of the changes that have been made in the department during the past few years he worked with former police chief Bobby Mendez (who is now Dublin’s city manager).
“We started professionalizing the department and bringing it into the 21st century,” Ray said. “We updated our fleet of vehicles and now have in-car computers.”
As Ray settles into his new role as police chief, he said he hopes to bring in additional training for the staff and hire more officers to keep the streets of Dublin safe.