Retiring Salem police chief Susan Miller says she wanted to be a police officer from the age of six when her dad retired Centralia Police Officer Bruce Humphries came to her school as Officer Friendly.
Along the way in her 28 years on the force Miller served as a patrolman, community resource officer, sergeant, and deputy chief handling technology and training before taking the reigns as police chief two months before she had to retire to deal with personal issues. She was also the Salem Police Department’s first female officer when joining the department in 1996. Miller recalled how great everyone was to work with.
Miller says one part of her career stands out.
“The community resource officer position (stands out) by far,” Miller said. “I got to meet a lot of people in the public from all walks of life and to find out that just being there and listening was a benefit to them. Knowing they had a face and name of someone they could call if they needed help.”
She especially remembers joining children at Hawthorn on the school playground.
“It was so much fun. It was an hour of just playing and being carefree,” Miller said. “We found that it helped, because officers would go on calls and the kids would say, ‘Do you know my friend Officer Susan?’ or I would show up on a call and they would latch onto my leg and hide behind me, saying ‘Help me, Officer Susan,’ so it really helped build that rapport, similar to what the SROs are doing now.”
When moving into administration, Miller’s work switched to technology and training. She commended the city of Salem for the amount of money and time spent on training.
“We were meeting the mandates before they ever came into being as mandates,” Miller said. “The department is as well-trained as you’re going to find in this area. We’re comparable to a lot of larger agencies.”
Miller is also proud of the cross-training the department did with the fire department and EMS, something that doesn’t happen in many parts of the state. She said the need was seen when she was first on the scene of a fire with one firefighter and had no idea how to assist.
Miller also led the city in becoming a Dementia Friendly Community with the Midland Area Agency on Aging after training was held with staff of various businesses on how to spot someone with dementia and how they can help.
Miller says she came in as chief with many ideas for special programs she will turn over Acting Chief Tyler Rose in hopes they can still be completed.
Miller says the hardest part of the job is trying to help people who don’t want to be helped because of self-abuse issues.
