Fullerton : 16-Year Veteran Named Police Officer of the Year

Gary Miller, a 16-year veteran of law enforcement, has been named Officer of the Year by the Fullerton South Rotary Club.

Miller, 40, has received numerous commendations as a member of the Fullerton Police Department, including honors from two Fullerton mayors, two awards from the Fullerton chief of police and a special commendation from Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Victor Barrera for apprehending a fugitive. Miller also has been honored by several area police departments, including Fountain Valley, La Habra, Anaheim, Placentia and Signal Hill.

Miller, who works in the department’s Community Services Bureau, is a peer counselor for the department, offering counseling to fellow officers in a variety of family and work-related areas. He also designed and implemented Fullerton’s successful “Business Watch” crime prevention program and has served as a representative on the Fullerton Police Officers Assn.

He joined the Fullerton police in 1968, transferred to the Roseburg, Ore., Police Department in 1973 and returned to Fullerton in 1976. The following year Miller was promoted to a senior officer and worked as a field training officer and supervisor. In 1982 he was assigned to the Traffic Bureau before transferring to Community Services this year.