The definition of a good cop and more specifically a good small-town cop will likely vary wildly depending upon whether asking members of the public or people in the law enforcement profession. The public may envision some updated version of the empathetic and patient Andy of Mayberry who knew everyone in his community and appreciated and understood them flaws and all.

 

Those in the profession are more likely to focus on technical skills and training. How well does an officer understand the statutes he or she is meant to uphold? What kind of specialist training, firearms, basic first aid, domestic violence, cybercrimes, dog handling, evidence processing does the officer have? Does an officer know how to properly use the employment related equipment provided to them?

 

Former Coquille PD officer James Bryant was generally regarded as a technically adept officer despite citizen complaints but then police chief Mike Reaves continued to support him even after breaking a man’s neck. Only when it was discovered that Bryant along with his wife Tammy had a penchant for plying underage girls with alcohol did he permanently lose his certification as a police officer.

 

Coquille PD Sergeant Doug Miller’s employment history encompassing his days as a reserve officer for the Klamath Falls Police Department in 1998 through his six-year tenure as a Coos County sheriff’s deputy is available online. He has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and earned good grades. In addition, Miller availed himself of plenty of training including the legal use of force and indicates that he believes he is meant to be in law enforcement. Nonetheless, Miller was terminated by the Coos County Sheriff for cause in 2018.

 

Miller claims his separation from the sheriff’s office was unfair and due to many “factual deficiencies” relating primarily to two use of force incidents stemming from July 2018. Previously mentioned in Part 1 of this series involves an elderly Larry Gudmundsen whom Miller held in a wristlock while on his own property and a second involves a motorist wrongfully arrested for refusing to pick up her driver’s license from the ground named Ashley Simington.

 

Both cases are disturbing but no more so than Miller’s refusal to accept any criticism for his handling of these events. In fact, his somewhat contorted rationales would only apply to a suspect caught in a criminal act and prompted one supervisor to retort “…deliberately interpreting the law in a way that supports your own agenda is inappropriate.”

 

Reading the victim accounts reminds me of the personal circumstances which first brought Miller onto my radar. In each case while attempting to reason with Miller he threatened to arrest them. “Do you want to go to jail?”

 

He did the same thing to my son, Chris.  Every time Chris attempted to explain what happened with a neighbor down the street, rather than listen he continually interrupted and threatened my son with arrest.

 

“I don’t believe that for a minute,” Miller shouted and “You are so close to going to jail right now!”

 

Luckily, in our case it didn’t matter what Miller believed because we had the entire thing on video, including his insulting and degrading treatment.

 

One supervisor observed that, “…Based on the oral account of Deputy Miller, it was evident to me little or no de-escalation techniques were employed with Ms Simington, whom has a history with the department, which Deputy Miller is aware of.” I found this statement of note because in some ways it seemed as if Miller was goading my son into giving him cause to be arrested.

 

Sheriff Zanni’s October 18, 2018 termination letter stated, “the implementing of discipline is never intended to be simply punishment…but to correct.” Thus far it seems Miller has yet to amend his behavior despite losing a job.

 

Coincident with this drama, Coquille PD Chief Scott Sanders was dealing with the fallout of the department’s failure to report an incident of domestic violence involving a child to DHS. As mandatory reporters, an officer, in this case Clayton Makinson, can be placed on a Brady list for failing to notify the agency.  More on this in a future post but the incident precipitated a small exodus of officers leaving some vacancies.

 

Sanders previously demonstrated lax hiring standards when he recommended the city council hire a candidate for finance director rejected by the City of Bandon. Capitalizing on the vacancies, Miller applied for position of sergeant. A January 2019 background check conducted by Sanders indicated that he had found no complaints about Miller’s honesty even though he was fully aware that several people, including Simington and Sheriff Zanni had challenged his judgment and veracity. District Attorney Paul Frasier forwarded a February 25, 2019 email from Simington to Sanders saying Miller is untrustworthy. Nonetheless, in a March 2019 letter to the DPSST on behalf of Miller, Sanders again repeats the false claim he “didn’t find anyone who questioned Doug’s honesty and integrity.”

 

It appears the only reason Frasier has included Miller on the Coos County Brady List is because of Simington’s letter. “Under the principles of Brady vs Maryland and its progeny, whether I believe the accusations or not,” writes Frasier, “I am now obligated to tell any defendant in any case where Miller is a witness that Ashley Simington believes the officer is not trustworthy.”

While it is good to know that one person can have an impact it is also a bit discouraging what Frasier and Sanders are willing to tolerate in our public servants.