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Posted by: kwflatbed

11/19/2007
Officer Down: Police Officer John Miller

Officer Down: John Miller - [Livermore, California]

ODMP

Biographical Info
Age: 32

Cause of Death: Automobile Accident

Additional Information: Officer Miller had served with the California Highway Patrol for one year and was assigned to the Dublin Stations. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Incident Details: Officer John Miller was killed in an automobile accident while searching for a reported drunk driver.

The officer was driving south on North Livermore Avenue about a mile north of Interstate 580 when he lost control of his patrol car around a sharp curve and struck a tree.

Officers from the Livermore Police Department located the drunken driving suspect, on eastbound I-580 near Greenville Road, and he was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on suspicion of DUI, evading police, and driving without a license.

End of Watch: Friday, November 16, 2007

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CHP officer dies in crash

By Henry K. Lee
The San Francisco Chronicle
LIVERMORE, Calif. - A California Highway Patrol officer was killed when he crashed into a tree in Livermore during a search to find a suspected drunk driver, authorities said today.
Officer John Miller, 32, was driving south on North Livermore Avenue about a mile north of Interstate 580 when he crashed his Ford Crown Victoria into a tree at about 9:15 p.m. Friday after losing control on a sharp curve, said CHP Officer Steve Creel.
Miller and other CHP officers were searching for a suspected drunken driver when the collision occurred, the CHP said. It was dark, and the two-lane rural road is not lit, authorities said.
CHP dispatchers lost contact with Miller, and a motorist later reported that his car had crashed into a tree, Creel said.
Miller crashed on a part of the road where it curves sharply to the right and descends, Creel said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the CHP'S Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team.
Livermore police located the drunken driving suspect on eastbound I-580 near Greenville Road, and the suspect was arrested by the CHP, Creel said.
A Lodi resident, Miller joined the CHP office in Dublin in March after graduating from the six-month CHP Academy in West Sacramento. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.
Miller is the first Dublin CHP officer to die on duty since 1991, when the office was established, Creel said.
"It's law enforcement," CHP Sgt. Les Bishop said today. "You have danger coming at you at all angles at every time. It shows the dedication of every single officer, because we all know the job is dangerous-but when you love the job, it doesn't really matter."
Funeral services are pending.

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Posted by: kwflatbed

Fallen Calif. Highway Patrol Officer Honored

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Jordan Larson, joins his father, Alameda County Deputy Eric Larson in saluting Officer Miller's coffin.

Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) (KRT)
via NewsEdge Corporation


Nov. 22--LODI -- Though there were many kind words and messages conveyed during the funeral for fallen California Highway Patrol Officer John Miller, none spoke louder to the gathering of 1,000 law enforcement officers, relatives and friends than a broadcast of Miller's voice.
Sobs and stone-faced looks were visible throughout St. Anne's Catholic Church as a recording of Miller's voice, captured from his police radio, was broadcast saying he was going "10-10" or off duty.
"John set a tremendous example. He put his whole heart in what he did, whether it was being an officer with the Highway Patrol, a good father or a good husband," said Capt. Mitch Mueller, area commander for the Dublin jurisdiction of the CHP.
"What I'll remember is that he always had this huge smile on his face and was willing to help," said Steve Creel, a CHP officer who worked with Miller in Dublin.
Miller, 32, died Nov. 16 just after he had been called off a pursuit of a suspected drunk driver in Livermore.
He had been driving on North Livermore Avenue about 9:15 p.m. in an attempt to find the driver.
About a mile north of Interstate 580, Miller hit a sharp curve in the road, then lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree with the left side of his car.
The church and later graveside service at Cherokee Memorial Park were a sea of green and tan CHP dress uniforms coupled with the law enforcement blues of other agencies.
Among the agencies represented were police from Napa, Oakland
and Hayward; as well as sheriff's deputies from Contra Costa, Alameda and Sacramento counties. Some even traveled from Oregon, Utah, Washington and Texas to pay their respects.
During the homily at the Mass, the Rev. Brandon Ware said that Miller lived a Christian value of sacrificing to help others.
"As a Christian and an officer of the Highway Patrol, John was a son of two great traditions of other-centered love," he said.
Miller was born in Stockton and raised in the San Joaquin County town of Linden.
He attended Sacramento State and the University of Phoenix.
He graduated with a degree in business administration in 2004, worked at Cherokee Freight Lines in Stockton and received his real estate license before entering the CHP Academy in September 2006, family members said.
Miller graduated from the CHP Academy in West Sacramento in March. He started with the Dublin CHP in April.
Miller lived in Lodi with his wife, Stephanie, 2-year-old son, Chandler, and 4-year-old daughter, Reese.
"Chandler, Reese, your daddy was a hero," Mueller said, also sharing stories about how Miller's eagerness to do his job occasionally led to humor.
Following the traditional Roman Catholic Mass, law enforcement officials made speeches and shared stories about Miller.
"When we lose someone, it hurts. It hurts every time," CHP Commissioner Mike Brown said.
"I had the chance to meet John when he was in the academy. He truly enjoyed what he was doing, and he wanted to do it."
Miller is the third CHP officer to be killed on duty this year, said CHP spokesman Les Bishop, adding that there have been 213 CHP officers killed on duty overall.
"If there's any kind of solace I can give you, it's that he will be remembered," Brown said, noting that slain CHP Officer Eric Manny had a freeway named after him near the site of a 2005 fatal crash.
Downtown Lodi was brought to a hush -- except for a distant train horn -- as Miller's flag-covered coffin was escorted from the church to the hearse and finally to his burial place.
Many, like Odette Bondoc of Stockton, took a break from work to pay their respects.
"I was very moved by all of this. I heard some of the Mass. It's so sad," she said, pointing at the motorcade. "I feel sorry for the two young kids."
Others, like the Bria family, had interacted with the Millers quite often.
Steve Bria took his son Michael, 10, to see the "respect and fraternity" of law enforcement, but he also said his daughter had taught a swimming class where Miller's daughter was one of the students.
"My friend also helped them out with swimming," Michael Bria said. "I feel really bad for his youngest son."
The burial was a traditional Catholic service, followed by a 21-gun salute, the playing of taps and a rendition of "Amazing Grace."

Information from: AP Wire Service

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