Ken Miller resigned as police chief of Greenville, SC, on Tuesday Dec. 31.
Miller was the Greensboro police chief from 2010 to 2014. He had been police chief in Greenville for five years when he resigned.
Miller had been placed on administrative leave on Dec. 17 after South Carolina First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe (the equivalent of a district attorney in North Carolina) released a letter on the results of a seven month investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) into three complaints filed against Miller, including the dismissal of public intoxication charge against a “wealthy businessman” in Greenville who was a donor to the Greenville Police Foundation.
Pascoe in the letter states, “The actions of Chief Miller and Lt. Rampey in connection with the dismissal of the criminal charge are very troubling.” Pascoe notes that Miller’s denial of any involvement in having the charges dismissed “is contradicted by SLED’s investigation.”
Pascoe states, “The evidence suggests that Chief Miller wanted the charge dismissed, but he did not want it known that he personally intervened in the case.”
He also states, “Lastly, there is evidence that both Chief Miller and Lt. Rampey may have misinformed SLED during their interviews.”
But Pascoe concludes, “the evidence is insufficient to establish beyond reasonable doubt that Chief Miller or Lt. Rampey acted with corrupt intent.”
Pascoe does not recommend that any criminal charges be brought, but he does state that there is evidence that Miller had the charge against the “wealthy businessman” dismissed because he was a contributor to the Greenville Police Foundation and that Miller’s statements to SLED were contradicted by “numerous witnesses.”
Miller retired from the Greensboro Police Department in August 2014 despite being given a $27,000 a year raise in an attempt to get him to stay.
Miller had announced on July 2, 2014 that he would retire between Sept. 1 and Dec. 23 and Greenville announced he had been hired as the new police chief on July 23, 2014.
Before coming to Greensboro, Miller was a Charlotte-Mecklenburg deputy police chief and had been with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department for 21 years
Another example, along with Deputy Chief James Hinson, of what the Greensboro Police Dept. hires and considers as leaders. Maybe it’s time to look deep into the GPD, and clean house. The GPD needs to answer to someone, and stop being an entity of their own. Changes have to be done and accountability to the citizens of Greensboro seen. It is time for the GPD to be overseen by the City Counsel, and changes made.
The GPD have to stop being their own boss.
Well, I believe the City Council was aware of Chief Hinson managing the group home and did nothing to stop it. The City Council was aware of and approved the Police Foundation that Ken Miller formed while he was the GPD chief. Now the Greensboro PD foundation is not accused of any wrong doing, that all happened in Greenville. I’m just pointing out that the council are well aware of the issues that you say should lead to them being in charge. Unfortunately, getting the council to run the show isn’t going to help. After all being a council member is a part time job for most of them and I don’t want a bunch of elected part timers running anything.