The Salem Police Department has a new chief. Deputy Chief Susan Miller will take the position on November first, when current chief Kyle Ambuehl will retire. Miller became the city’s first female officer when she joined the force 29 years ago and will now be the department’s first female police chief. She became deputy chief in December 2014 and held that position under the last two police chiefs.
Salem City Manager Annette Sola felt Miller was the right choice.
“She has years of leadership that she has brought to the department,” Sola said. “I know that she’s definitely got the support of the entire group as well as city staff, so it seemed like the right thing to do. She is going to help us look for the next deputy chief, so that’s our next process.”
Miller says she was looking for a new challenge and when asked, accepted the chief’s position.
“We’ve got a group of young officers that are still needing to gain some experience,” Miller said. “I really want to focus on preparing them for leadership roles. As we hire new, even younger officers, we need them to be prepared for handling whatever gets thrown their way.”
Miller, who also in the past served as Community Resource Officer, would like to bring some of those programs back.
“We provided programs such as the citizen’s academies, bike rodeos, really got involved with neighborhood watch and a variety of other community-based programs. I really enjoyed that, and so I’d like to see a lot more of those programs moving forward. We’ve got younger officers who would be excited to do those types of activities. Look forward to seeing some of those.”
In addition to seeking a new deputy chief, the city is currently looking to hire two new patrol officers and a telecommunicator. Miller is hopeful all those positions can be filled by the first of the year.
