David Miller: Supporting the passion to be the change in our community

“In hindsight, my atypical education journey and real-world experience are very helpful to relate to students today and the next generation of public safety officers and professionals,” noted David Miller, director of the Criminal Justice Training Center at Seminole State College of Florida.

As a second-generation Central Florida family and Seminole County resident, Miller recalls that a public safety and service-orientated nature was woven into his upbringing with his father and grandfather serving as police officers following military service. Miller’s father graduated from Seminole Community College, as it was known in the late 1960s, in one of the very first law enforcement academies in the greater Central Florida area. This was before Miller was born, yet the proverbial wheels were in motion with the commitment to serve and protect.

In 2002, Miller received his GED at Seminole State, then pursued additional courses through the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) program and onto the workforce for real-life experience. He then returned to Seminole State and entered the Basic Law Enforcement Academy before joining the Altamonte Springs Police Department upon successful completion of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) exam.

Miller brings more than 16 years of experience from his role as an officer with the Altamonte Springs Police Department, retiring as a lieutenant. His core capabilities include training, recruiting, criminal investigations, traffic enforcement, traffic crash investigations, patrol operations, vice activities and bike patrol.

Miller returned to the Seminole State College to earn an Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree and joined the Criminal Justice Institute as an adjunct instructor in 2011.

He was promoted to director of the Criminal Justice Training Center in 2022. In this elevated role, Miller oversees program offerings to meet the demands of criminal justice officers in our community, offer potential officers a variety of career options, stay current with new criminal justice technology, and maintain adherence to the State of Florida requirements.

“My personal experience with Seminole State’s GED adult studies, A.A. program, and student support resources shaped me to help others who might struggle or need extra help to navigate higher education,” Miller continued.  

In the director role, Miller focuses on attracting and retaining top instructors, experts in the field, and implementing the latest technologies and tools that surround law enforcement to complement the coursework to stay on and even ahead of the curve. 

Miller’s advice to a new student interested in public safety programs is to leverage your life experiences and cultivate a passion for support. He often asks students, “Do you feel the calling, deep in your bones, to be the change within your community?” 

“I strive to be the difference, one interaction and one student at a time,” concludes Miller.