The Ramone Lamkin Story

My story began in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I was born to a sixteen-year-old mother with three kids – my older brother, my twin brother, and me. She made the decision to surrender her parental rights to my twin brother and me to the state, but my great uncle intervened. It really is amazing how God can put people in your life when you need them the most; my great aunt and uncle did not want my twin brother and me to be separated, so my great aunt – who was sixty-five years old – agreed to raise us without hesitation. She became the most influential person in my life. I call her Momma, and she has taught me so many valuable lessons – the most important one being that I can do anything I set my mind to.

My brother and I relocated to Augusta, Georgia to live with Momma, but raising two young boys was no easy task on a fixed income. I can remember not having heat some days and sharing most of my clothes with my brother. We stayed on the rough side of town and really didn’t have much – except a mom that loved us with all her heart. She walked us to school every morning and walked back home with us each afternoon. Even though we grew up in poverty, Momma always taught us to be clean and not let the world define us based on our social status.

Going to school was the first time I began to understand how my story was different; it was when I had to face rejection for the first time. I would see the other kids with their mother and father dropping them off school and I would ask myself why my biological parents wanted nothing to do with me. The fact that my mother and father were addicted to drugs didn’t mean that much to me at the time. I just wanted to feel the love of my parents the way other kids did. What I didn’t know was that God had a much bigger plan for my brother and me, and getting knocked down was all part of teaching me to get back up.

Even though we never met our biological father, it seemed like God would always place a male figure in our lives when we needed one. My great uncles Henry, Buddy, Alan, and Granvil were always around, and the men in my family carried themselves with pride and dignity. I was raised to believe that one part of being a good man is being a good provider. That was one of the reasons why I got a job at the age of fifteen and have been working ever since: I wanted to help Momma pay the bills and be able to buy things that I wanted without burdening my family. 

I was introduced to the idea of a career in law enforcement at my first job at Winn Dixie. Deputy Elijah Parker worked at Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and was assigned a special duty shift at the store. Before that day my only interactions with the police had been negative, but he saw something in me that no one else had. Deputy Parker spoke to Momma and asked her for permission to show me a different side of what law enforcement can accomplish in a community. Deputy Parker taking me under his wing helped realize that I belonged in law enforcement. His example was the first that showed me that every encounter a police officer has with a citizen is an opportunity to make a positive impact. Working in policing, I could help the people of my community live safer and more prosperous lives.

 I joined the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office when I was just twenty-one years old and worked my way from the jail to patrol and eventually to the traffic division. I had a passion for working traffic and as my career progressed, I wanted to move on to the next level of traffic enforcement. I had always been fascinated with the Georgia State Patrol. They had a reputation for professionalism and were respected by all the other law enforcement agencies in the CSRA. Most of the time you’d have to know someone to get hired by the state patrol, but I was blessed to have been hired without any prior connections there. I graduated trooper school in 2002 and was assigned to Post 47 Forrest Park in Atlanta, GA, and eventually I was promoted to Corporal. While I had always admired GSP, what I realized later was that accepting a position with the agency would shape the rest of my law enforcement career. God always has a plan.

In 2011, one of my friends was running for Sheriff of Richmond County, Georgia – and if he won, he wanted me to be the commander over his traffic division. This was a big opportunity, and though I loved working at state patrol, this was a chance I couldn’t pass up. The following November, my friend Richard Roundtree was elected the first black Sheriff in the history of Richmond County, and I proudly returned to the Sheriff’s Office in 2013 as his new Traffic Division Commander. In my time with RCSO, I gained invaluable leadership experience and learned much about how to be successful in law enforcement administration.

During my time working in Richmond County, I would see Marshal’s deputies working in the field – but I never knew what they did, what their responsibilities were, or even who the Marshal was. And if a law enforcement professional like me couldn’t describe the organization’s role in the community, I was certain that the citizens of Augusta-Richmond County were probably also at least curious, if not being underserved. I felt that this office could do more for the community, and I could be the person to bring that change to their agency.

When I decided to run for office in 2016, people told me a whole lot of reasons why I couldn’t win. My opponent was a twenty-eight-year incumbent and I’d never run for office. He was white and I was black. Plus, it wasn’t a partisan contest like the Sheriff’s race. But I knew two things going into that campaign: I was going to be the hardest worker in the room, and I was going to win.

The Marshal’s race was hard-fought. I learned a lot about how politics can change people. I lost some old friends, but I felt called to serve the people of Richmond County – and I won with fifty-two percent of the vote, becoming Richmond County’s first black Marshal.

When I took office, I had the opportunity to change the organization’s culture. I introduced professional standards for our agency, focusing on community policing and professionalism. Since being elected, I have always been dedicated to keeping Augusta clean and safe. As part of that vision, my office participates in the C.A.V.E. (Crimes Against the Vulnerable and Elderly) Task Force and has initiated programs locally such as Eddie Eagle. We lead and take part in professional and community initiatives, and have begun investigating and charging certain cases of illegal dumping as felonies in an effort to improve health and quality of life for Richmond County’s citizens and to aid in city beautification efforts. Our security teams have intensified their own training, and we provide active shooter training to government employees occupying government facilities in an effort to ensure the safety and security of our facilities occupants and visitors.

Any agency I lead will always be invested in the community. The organizations I lead will not play favorites and will treat every employee and citizen fairly no matter who they are. People want to have access to their government to address their concerns and needs. In the past, members of our community have not had access to elected officials – but I will never allow my administration to operate that way. That’s why today I have an open-door policy; anyone can come in and meet with me. It’s why I give out my cell phone number to the public so they can call me directly. I love this community, and I was elected to serve all of its people.

The grace of God has allowed my twin brother and me to achieve the level of success we have experienced thus far. We overcame the odds – drug addicted parents, no father, a lack of financial resources, a childhood surrounded by crime and gangs. Most of the people we grew up with have been to prison, are dead, or were grandparents at the age of thirty-five. Today, my brother is a high school principal working on his doctoral degree, and I am the first black Marshal in Richmond County. Even through all of my trials and tribulations I always remembered what Momma always said: “Work hard and don’t let anyone define who you are.” I never have forgotten that lesson, and I’ve never stopped getting up when I’ve been knocked down.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. It is truly my honor to serve as your Marshal, and I look forward to continuing to lead the charge in keeping Augusta clean and safe.