Miller becomes first African-American deputy chief at Apopka Police Department

Jerome Miller is a man of few words, but the trails he is blazing do a lot of the talking for him. Miller, a veteran officer with the Apopka Police Department, was promoted to captain seven years ago, and last week became the first African-American to reach the rank of deputy chief in the history of the agency.

“Deputy Chief Miller has been an asset to the Apopka Police Department for over 25 years," said APD Chief Michael McKinley. "He has dedicated his entire career to the APD and the citizens of Apopka which has resulted in him being well known and respected in our community. Through his hard work and dedication, he has earned his promotion to deputy chief and I am looking forward to working with him in this new capacity. He is going to continue to be a great asset to me, the department, and our citizens.”

And in those 25 years, Miller has been an asset in multiple areas of the APD.

He began his career in 1996 after graduating from Seminole State College Basic Law Enforcement Academy. He served as a patrol officer before being assigned to the Youth Resource Officer Unit and became a school resource officer from 1997-2004 at Apopka High School.

He was promoted to sergeant in 2005, and captain in 2013, which included overseeing Administrative Services, the Communications Center (9-1-1), Records Section, Code Enforcement, Training and Recruitment, Youth Resource Officers, and Professional Standards. Miller also graduated from the Southern Police Institute in 2006, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Chief Executive Officer Mentoring Program at Cedarville University in July 2014, and the FBI National Academy in 2018.

"We congratulate Captain Jerome Miller who has been promoted to the position of Deputy Chief," said Apopka City Commissioner Alexander H. Smith, the third African-American commissioner on the City Council. "[It's] a position that he is well qualified to hold. With his wealth of education and experience along with his compassion and patience for people he has earned the promotion. He is a humble man that will continue to serve our city well into the future. Congratulations on your commitment to serve the City of Apopka."