Smyrna Detective Appointed to Child Welfare Reform Council

Patch Staff Report

This week, Governor Nathan Deal named the list of those who will serve on the Child Welfare Reform Council, which was recently created to improve our child welfare system and better protect Georgia’s most vulnerable citizens. 

The council was created as the Georgia House and Senate were stuck during this year’s legislative session over differing plans to privatize most child welfare services, reports WABE. The governor has tasked the council members with reviewing the Division of Family and Children Services and suggesting possible reforms and legislative fixes to the agency.

The council will convene throughout the remainder of this year.

Smyrna Police Detective Meredith Ramaley was the only law enforcement representative across the state of Georgia to be selected for this council. Detective Ramaley was selected based on her training and experience working with juveniles.

Ramaley is a detective for the Smyrna Police Department investigating crimes against children and adult sexual assault. She has been working in the field of child abuse and law enforcement for 13 years.

Previously, she worked as a Probation Officer for Cobb County Juvenile Court prior to moving to Maryland, where she worked as a caseworker for Child Protective Services. Trading in her social work hat to pursue criminals, Ramaley accepted a job with the Maryland State Police and Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office as a Criminal Investigator in the Child Abuse/Sexual Assault Unit.

After deciding it was time to move home to Georgia, Ramaley was hired by the Smyrna Police Department, where she worked Uniformed Patrol before being promoted to her current position of detective.

She has been employed by the Smyrna Police Department for more than seven years. She currently represents the Smyrna Police Department on the F.B.I.’s Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force (M.A.T.C.H.), where she investigates the human trafficking of children.

Ramaley received a Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences with a major in Child Development from the University of Georgia. Her work with children includes being an advisor with the Smyrna Police Explorers, a youth group for teens.

Ramaley was honored as the 2013 Smyrna Police Officer of the Year.