Dennis Miller Sworn In As New Secaucus Police Chief

SECAUCUS, NJ — Dennis Miller was sworn in Tuesday night as the new chief of the Secaucus police department, a prestigious — and well-paid — position that brings with it the role of shepherding public safety in the thriving and growing small town.

In a jam-packed ceremony at the Secaucus High School Performing Arts Center (PAC), Miller took the oath of office before a crowd that included his wife and daughter, the Secaucus mayor and town council and police representatives from neighboring towns, such as Jersey City and the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office.

Miller replaces outgoing Chief Kevin Flaherty. He lives in Rutherford and he will be paid a salary of $212,750 per year.

"As a young police officer I was shown a map of Secaucus with a blue line around it," said Miller in his opening remarks to the crowd last night. "I was told the blue line was water and that we are an island and we operate by ourselves. Well, today I promise to extend beyond that line," he said, referring to working with towns outside Secaucus to tackle crime.

With less than one week on the job, Miller already vowed to create a task force to fight vice crime in Secaucus motels, after last week's gun-and-cocaine arrest at the Red Roof Inn.

"Today we work in one of the most challenging times in the nation for law enforcement," Miller continued. "I will be making us better to do the job that we do. And I will never ask a solider to attempt any task that I would not do myself. I expect all members of the Secaucus police department to hold me accountable."

The Secaucus town Council has the powerful job of choosing a new police chief. When Flaherty announced he would be stepping down, three other captains, plus Miller, and a lieutenant in the department put in applications to be hired as the new chief. A committee on the town council, consisting of Councilmen James Clancy, Bill McKeever and John Gerbasio, interviewed all the candidates. They made a recommendation to the entire town council of which candidate to hire, and the Council chose Miller, said Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli.

Miller is a 22-year-veteran of the Secaucus police department, rising up through the ranks to become sergeant, lieutenant, captain and now chief. Prior to becoming chief, he served as the public information officer for Secaucus police and was responsible for releasing all arrests and crime information to the media. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he was a drill sergeant.

Miller graduated from Thomas Edison University. He also worked in the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office municipal task force and worked a presidential protection detail in Washington, D.C. in January 2005, protecting then-president George W. Bush.

He earned a 200 Club Valor award for locating a man in Weehawken who was wanted for murder, and was attempting to kill a woman when he intervened; Miller was off duty at the time. He also resuscitated a woman who was not breathing in 2005.

Related: Loaded Gun, Cocaine Found At Red Roof Inn In Secaucus, Police Say (March 4, 2020)