Oregon State Police Superintendent Announces Retirement

Superintendent Ronald C. Ruecker was appointed as the ninth Superintendent of Oregon State Police in December of 1999. Prior to his appointment, Ruecker advanced through the ranks beginning in 1974, and has served as Deputy Superintendent, commander of two of the department's three bureaus, and was director of the Office of Professional Standards.

Ronald Ruecker Photo courtesy: Oregon State Police

(Salem-News.com) - On Wednesday, Oregon State Police Superintendent Ronald C. Ruecker notified Governor Ted Kulongoski of his intention to retire effective December 1st.

In a letter to Governor Kulongoski, Superintendent Ruecker and his wife, Ann, reflected on the size of the Patrol Services Division:

"We are pleased to report that despite a generation of declining resources (referencing to the dramatic cuts to the Patrol Services Division since it was taken out of the Highway Fund in 1980) and an expanding role in public safety, the Oregon Department of State Police is in excellent condition. Our men and women continually display the hallmark OSP values of Pride, Loyalty and Dedication, and they give Oregonians every reason to be proud of the State Police. In fact, the OSP is recognized internationally for excellence among State and Provincial law enforcement organizations.

Our family is grateful for the opportunity to be part of an organization in which families are so critically important to the effectiveness of the Department. This is the essence of public service.

One of our responsibilities of leadership is keeping a watchful eye on the needs of the organization, its people and its mission. Based on our sense of the organization's needs, we respectfully ask that you consider this letter as notice of our intent to retire from the Department effective December 1st, 2006.

We feel this decision is in the best interest of the membership, our family and the public.

We leave the agency secure in the knowledge that the OSP leadership is strong, our employees the best trained, and that the Department is ready for the investment and organizational restorations that are so long overdue. We will be paying close attention as the coming session of the legislature addresses these issues once again, and of course, we will continue to support the Oregon State Police Foundation.

Sincerely,

Superintendent Ronald C. & Ann M. Ruecker"

In 2001, Ruecker was designated by Governor John Kitzhaber as the point of contact for Homeland Security for the state of Oregon, and served in that role until 2004.

Ruecker is a graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy and the Program for Senior Executives at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

He is a member of the F.B.I. National Academy Associates of Oregon, the Oregon State Sheriffs Association, and the Oregon Association of the Chiefs of Police.

He is currently serving as the First Vice-President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.