Roll of Honor
William D. Miller
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
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew William. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
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
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
William D. Miller served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Investigator William D. Miller is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 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 4.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
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.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William D. Miller's cause is highlighted.
How William D. Miller Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William D. Miller is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
12 officers from Illinois Department of Conservation - Division of Law Enforcement are honored on badge.nw.
