South Pasadena Police Chief Art Miller Talks About Dallas Incident

It started as an ambush of gunshots killing five officers while screaming crowds ran for cover.

It ended with a Dallas police bomb squad robot ending the life of a gunman after negotiations failed.

Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, of Mesquite, Texas, a military veteran who had served in Afghanistan was identified as the person who carried out the attacks. Authorities determined he was the lone shooter in the incident.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown, highly outspoken about the shootings, said during a prayer rally last Friday: “Through our investigation, it was revealed to us that this was a well-planned, well-thought-out, evil tragedy.”

Gunfire erupted in Dallas Thursday night after news clips showed two African-American men shot by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, spurring protests and debate over the use of force by police across the United States.

While the City of Dallas is still in mourning, the South Pasadena Review spent some time with South Pasadena Police Chief Art Miller, asking him to reflect on the fallen officers and his thoughts in the aftermath of the shootings.

Miller has been the South Pasadena police chief for 3 1/2 years after working for the Los Angeles Police Department for 35 years. With the LAPD, Miller worked a variety of assignments “that exposed me to a diverse community in just about any aspect one can imagine,” he said.

What were your thoughts when you heard that five officers were shot and killed in Dallas on Thursday night?

Two thoughts come to mind when I think about law enforcement and the population it serves. First, the community wants law enforcement serving in their communities. Without police officers total anarchy would exist. Think about how a parent would feel sending children off to school, the park or simply to the store without the presence of an ever vigilant law enforcement serving them. Secondly, and equally important, police officers want to serve. Officers want to be part of the community. Police officers are trained in many aspects of tactics and survival methods. And, officers are trained in human relations, community policing, mental illness, working with a homeless population, understanding the importance their role plays in society.

Where are we as a society when people are killing police officers, those who have a job to protect and serve?

Police work is inherently dangerous and those who become police officers willingly take on a sacred responsibility to protect our communities. We know that our lives can be taken in the performance of our sworn duties, yet we move forward willingly. When I heard that five officers had been murdered my heart sank. An attack on police officers is an attack on the very fabric of society officers are sworn to protect.

In the face of two African-American men being shot by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, then seeing protests and debate over police use of force across the country, what is your reaction to all this?

The outspoken few who denounce police actions do so ignorantly and before all the facts are known. They demand that justice is served and that officers be fired, suspended or killed without having all the facts. Due process is forgotten when a police officer acts in the performance of his or her duties.

Typically, officers are put into situations because a call for service by community members that are not equipped or trained to deal with the given situation. At times, the public reacts to a sound bite on the radio or a short video that doesn’t tell the whole story or is taken out of context.
Some might say we have a broken system. Do we? What can be done to help prevent mass shootings around the country?

It is too early to tell what led up to the shooting and ultimately the deaths of the suspects in Louisiana and Minnesota. Admittedly the video footage is horrible to watch. Until the footage is put in proper perspective and witnesses are interviewed and the investigation completed, we all should wait to pass judgment.

The Dallas police chief said “We’re hurting. Our profession is hurting.” Do you believe law enforcement is hurting in our country?

The foundation of how police officers conduct themselves is the Constitution of the United States of America. Any deviation from tenets of the constitution will be dealt with by order of law.

In California, our penal system is completely turned up side down. Early prisoner release of convicted felons and reclassification of certain felonies to misdemeanors make our communities at risk to be victimized at a more frequent and violent manner. Police officers are woven into the fabric of society. Officers are the thin thread that helps to protect and serve our community.

Those who denounce police officers do nothing to improve their causes. The fact that they shout down those that have different point of view does not make them right. He or she that shouts the loudest doesn’t make them right. It is difficult to let in a different perspective when a person is yelling in your face.

How do you keep the morale strong at the South Pasadena Police Department following a shooting involving your “brothers” and “Sisters” in Dallas. Do you talk about it with your officers? What you tell them?

As a police chief, one of my responsibility is to do everything I can to maintain positive morale. Regularly meeting with my personnel and providing training and equipment are methods to ensure the high morale is maintained.

Anytime an officer is killed in the line of duty is a time for mourning for all police officers. The tragedy in Dallas, Texas, will affect police officers nationwide. When one hurts we all hurt. On a larger scale, every American should take stock in what happened in Dallas. Another piece of our nation’s fabric was cut away.

Americans can find solace that while tragic, our resolve to serve is ever vigilant.