William D. Miller
Agency patch
Investigator

William D. Miller

Veteran → Accident
End of Watch December 1, 1954
Age 53
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
Badge 22
The Vigil Panel 90 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Investigator William Miller was killed in an automobile crash as he was responding to a call of illegal hunting near Wilmington in Will County. Shortly after 7:00 am, Investigator Miller's squad car skidded on the icy road of the Illinois Route 66 Bridge over the DuPage River. The squad car crossed into oncoming traffic, striking a northbound vehicle head-on. Investigator Miller's son was a police officer in Plainfield at the time and was one of the first officers on the scene. For the next 30 years, his son served in his place and went on to become the chief of law enforcement of the state's conservation police. Investigator Miller was a United States Navy WWI veteran and had served with the Illinois Department of Conservation for 12 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and four children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-87FF81DD
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Investigator Miller gave the Illinois Department of Conservation 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Springfield community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Springfield, IL
Platform Identity idcdlecons.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 1, 1954
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
Age 53
Badge Number 22
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

William D. Miller served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Investigator William D. Miller is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 26.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Illinois Department of Conservation - Division of Law Enforcement, 10 of 13 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 76.9% of this agency's fallen.

Illinois Department of Conservation - Division of Law Enforcement
10
of 13 officers
76.9% Accident
IL — Statewide
354
of 1,318 officers
26.9% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,759 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William D. Miller's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How William D. Miller Compares

Age at Death
53
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
12
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William D. Miller is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Military Service

William D. Miller served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.

Visit William D. Miller’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.