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Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer Miller Named 2009 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

On May 20, 2010, the Police Heritage Museum held the 2009 Law Enforcement Awards ceremony in the York County Commissioners meeting room at the York County Administrative Center, 28 East Market Street (the former York County Court House) in downtown York. Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer Matthew T. Miller of the Pennsylvania Game Commission was named the 2009 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.

Deputy Miller is part of the Commission's Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer corps, a group of officers that must pay for their own firearms, vehicles, gas, and other miscellaneous items to perform their job. Miller is provided with work clothing, and is paid $65.00 for each eight hours he worked for approximately three months, and volunteering his time for the vast majority of the year.

Deputy Miller was involved in two major cases of illegal killing of deer in 2009 involving eight suspects. These cases resulted in thousands of dollars in fines, and included two-thousand four-hundred dollars in restitution for one doe being ordered by the court. This was the first restitution award for white-tailed deer ever pursued in York County Court under a replacement cost schedule passed by the Board of Game Commissioners in April 2009.

Deputy Miller's most influential case in 2009 spanned ten months from violation to conviction. Miller received information on several white-tailed deer that were illegally killed, and eventually located two suspects. Both suspects were felons not to possess firearms and both were on probation. One subject agreed to a plea bargain resulting in four thousand dollars in fines. The second subject, who had a twenty-three page criminal history record including assault, burglary and drug charges, refused to plea bargain. The defendant was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to five to ten years in state prison.

The Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award was established in 2000 by the Police Heritage Museum, Inc. to promote a better understanding between law enforcement officers and the citizens they serve by demonstrating the role officers play in their communities' history and growth.

By establishing the award, the Police Heritage Museum hopes to meet it's mission by promoting the public trust and support of local law enforcement agencies by showcasing the achievements of local law enforcement officers. In addition, we hope to shed light on the community member that wears a law enforcement uniform.

Our thanks are extended to the following for their assistance with the awards ceremony:

• The York County Commissioners, for providing such a great venue for the ceremony
• Sage Technology Solutions, for providing the video of the ceremony
• Hayman Studio, for providing a photographer for the ceremony
• White Rose Community Television, for airing the ceremony on their cable channel and for providing the video on their web site

For more information on this and previous awards, please visit the Law Enforcement Awards Program page.

Fallen Officer Memorial Ceremony Held

On Friday, May 7, 2010, a memorial service honoring fallen police officers from York County was held at the York County Department of Emergency Services facility at 120 Davies Drive in Springettsbury Township. The ceremony was held to coincide with the National Police Week activities and the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service in Washington, D.C.

An honor guard from the Springettsbury Township Police Department presented the colors, while a bagpiper played music to open the ceremony. Representatives of the Northern York County Regional Police Department, the York City Police Department and the York County Sheriffs Office placed white roses on the bronze plaques with the names of the four police officers that gave their lives in the line of duty in York County. The York County Department of Emergency Services maintains a memorial for all emergency services personnel who gave the ultimate sacrifice in York County at their facility.

Corporal L. James Thomas, Jr. of the Lower Windsor Township Police Department, and a member of the board of directors of the Police Heritage Museum, was instrumental in developing this ceremony in a short time frame. Jim credits the cooperation of the York County Commissioners, the York County Department of Emergency Services and the local police departments for making this event a success.

The four fallen officers honored at the ceremony were:

• Curtis D. Sowers - North York Borough Police Department
• Henry C. Schaad - York City Police Department
• Edward "Skip" Schroeder, Jr. - York County Sheriffs Office
• David D. Tome - Northern York County Regional Police Department

A video of the ceremony can be seen on the White Rose Community Television web site.

Tasers Donated to Museum

The Police Heritage Museum recently accepted several new items to add to its display of non-lethal weapons. Taser International has donated several of their products to the museum to be placed on display. These non-active tasers will provide modern-day variations of the various non-lethal weapons used by law enforcement officers through the years in their efforts to protect the peace and enforce the law.

The Police Heritage Museum would like to acknowledge Steve Tuttle at Taser International and Kathy Hanrahan at the Taser Foundation for their assistance in acquiring these artifacts.

Thanks also to Corporal L. James Thomas of the Lower Windsor Township Police Department, and a member of the museum's board of directors, who spearheaded the effort to add these items to our collection.

York Area To Host Police-Fire Games

The York, Pennsylvania area has been selected as the host for the 2014 Can-Am Police-Fire Games. The Can-Am Police-Fire Games is a sporting competition among firefighters and law enforcement personnel from throughout the United States and Canada. York County was selected from a field of five cities vyeing for the event.

The Police Heritage Museum looks forward to having the competitors visit the York area, and hopes that they find time to visit the Police Heritage Museum. Although located in York, the Police Heritage Museum contains artifacts from throughout the world.

For additional information on the games, please visit the following: