Lt. Daniel Miller of the Forest Park Police Department has had 17 complaints filed against him since 2008, according to village documents provided to the Review under a Freedom of Information Act request. While many of the complaints were determined to have been unfounded, meaning law enforcement authorities investigated the incidents and found them to be false or baseless, others have resulted in one-day suspensions or a letter of reprimand.
The most-recent complaint against Miller was in April, when someone filed a complaint that an off-duty officer pulled a gun on them, unlawfully detained them, didn’t show any identification when asked, and cut off the driver to open their car door and grab them. Investigation into the complaint is ongoing.
On April 27, Miller, while off duty, detained a woman in North Riverside while she was stopped at a red light. Video of the incident shows Miller approaching the car in plain clothes after parking his personal vehicle in front of the woman at a red light, pulling the driver from her car and putting her in handcuffs.
Though Miller was put on administrative leave after the incident last month, this isn’t the first time citizens have filed complaints against him with the Forest Park Police Department, or the department’s own chief and deputy chief.
In 2008, two complaints were filed with the Forest Park Police Department against Miller, one for unauthorized use of the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System and another for racial profiling. Both complaints were determined to be unfounded.
In 2009, a lieutenant in the Forest Park Police Department filed a complaint against Miller for employee conduct. After investigation, the department determined there was improper conduct and issued a letter of reprimand to Miller. The same year, then-Police Chief Tom Aftanas filed a complaint against Miller for employee conduct, ultimately finding improper conduct and issuing a one-day suspension.
In 2010, Miller was mentioned in a complaint with two other officers for use of force, though the complaint was determined to be unfounded.
Miller was suspended for one day in 2012 after a complaint was filed against him for improper employee conduct.
Then-Deputy Chief Michael Keating filed a complaint against Miller in 2017, though the complaint was determined to be unfounded.
Three complaints were filed against Miller in 2020, only one of which was determined to be unfounded. Another was filed by then-Deputy Chief Ken Gross for discharge of a firearm, resulting in a one-day suspension for Miller. And then-Police Chief Tom Aftanas filed a complaint against five officers, including Miller, for an arrestee death in 2020, though the officers were exonerated.
Miller saw three complaints in 2023 — one unfounded and two of which he was exonerated from — and two complaints in 2024, one unfounded and one exonerated. There was one complaint against Miller last year, which was not sustained due to insufficient evidence.