Come August, there’ll be a new Sheriff in town. Captain Donnie Miller, who’s been the Chief of Police for Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms for the last four years, will be retiring August 10. Miller has lived his entire life in Twentynine Palms and started in law enforcement as a reserve deputy with the Sheriff’s Posse in 1979, then went to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Academy in 1981. Like most new deputies, Miller started out working in the jails, until an opening on patrol opened up and he was transferred back to the Morongo Basin. During his 31 years at the Sheriff’s Department, Miller has worked as a patrol deputy, on the Regional Gang Task Force, in the Crimes Against Children unit, narcotics, court services, working all over the county, including Needles, Victorville, San Bernardino, and Big Bear, as well as the Morongo Basin. When Miller was promoted to captain in 2008, he returned to take command of the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station. Miller told Z107.7 news that he’s had a great career; he got into law enforcement to make his community a safer place and he’s had fun chasing the bad guys. One of the major changes he’s seen in law enforcement over the years is the increasing requirements for training and education that deputies must undergo, and he added that AB109, the Prison Realignment Act and the state’s budget crisis, are making it much more strenuous and complicated for today’s deputies to deal with criminals. Miller added that he has mixed emotions about retiring; he has enjoyed his career and will miss law enforcement, but he’s looking forward to retirement and vacations. A replacement has not yet been named. A retirement party for Miller will be held on August 3 at 11 a.m. at the Yucca valley Community Center.
