Former Police Chief Walt Miller with friends, family, community members, officers, and township officials at his final radio transmission (right photo) and walkout ceremony.
Evesham celebrated the retirement of Police Chief Walt Miller with a radio transmission and walk out ceremony at a council meeting earlier this month.
Miller has spent 28 years in law enforcement. Council used the last meeting of the chief’s career to celebrate his work in the community and express gratitude for his service.
Miller joined the Evesham police department in 1997, and 25 years later, he was sworn in as township police chief. Miller graduated from Rowan University in 1996, then completed his police academy training. That same year, he earned a master’s in administrative science from Fairleigh Dickinson University and certificates in Law Enforcement Executive Studies and Global Leadership.
After a short stint working for the Amtrak police in Philadelphia, Miller was hired by the township department as a patrol officer in the narcotics branch of the county prosecutor’s office. He also served with the state police before returning to the Evesham detective bureau, where he was promoted to lieutenant and eventually captain in 2023.
Miller recounted his early days in that position.
“I was originally put in charge of operations,” he recalled. “During that time, I was in charge of all the line functions of the police department.”
After serving as acting township police chief following former chief Christoper Chew’s retirement in 2022, Miller was officially appointed to the role in late March of that year. He emphasized that all of his training and educational experiences were necessary for him to properly manage the challenges a chief can face.
“I wouldn’t be prepared for this role without all the education and experience as a backing,” he noted. “The complexities of being a police chief in 2022 are a lot different than being a chief 20 or 30 years ago. I feel that everything that I’ve done up to this point has positioned me to provide that for the community.”
Miller is also a graduate of the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development Mid-Atlantic Training at Princeton University and Penn State’s Police Officer Law Enforcement Executive Training. He is an senior adjunct professor at Rowan College of Burlington County, and a professor at the Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration and Fairleigh Dickinson University.
As an active community member, Miller also served as a trustee for the Marlton Recreation Council and previously served as the organization’s president.
“Thank you for coming together to celebrate my retirement, ” Miller told those at the council meeting, including members of the police department. “I leave here with solace knowing the members of this agency are up to the task. You will continue what we started and take this agency to even higher levels. You will do so with me cheering you on.
“I am, and will always be, proud of you.
“Lastly, to the greatest community in America, Evesham Township,” Miller added. “This includes our residents and business owners. You are the fabric that makes this community what it is. Your support of me and this police department is not the norm, and I value our deep-rooted relationships. Today, I retire from the (police) department, but I will never retire from being a proud teammate of yours. We … have a lot more work to do.”
He then offered a phrase to represent retirement.
“Thank you, now queue chapter 2.”
Miller will continue police work in law-enforcement consulting for a local company. His retirement ceremony and walkout video is available on the police Facebook page.
