Orange City, FL - The deputy police chief of Orange City will be promoted to the agency’s top spot following the retirement of the current chief.
During Tuesday’s (April 26) Orange City Council meeting, city leaders recognized the 30 years of service brought to the city by the outgoing Chief Peter Thomas, who will officially step down at the end of April.
Instead of a search for a new chief, the city decided to promote from within and name Deputy Police Chief Wayne Miller as Thomas’ official replacement. He will officially take over on April 29, but there will be a public swearing-in ceremony on May 6 at Mill Lake Park.
To date, Thomas has been the longest-tenured police chief of the department, having relocated to Volusia County from New York in 1979. During one fateful day in 1989, Thomas, while working as a brick mason, told a property owner that he wanted to be a police officer. The property owner turned out to be Orange City Police Chief Arthur Locke, who sponsored Thomas’ law enforcement education.
He joined the OCPD as a reserve officer in 1991 and became a full-time officer in April 1992. By 1999, Thomas was promoted to Sergeant, and was subsequently promoted to Commander in 2003. In 2010, Thomas attended the University of Louisville, Southern Police Institute for the 124th Administrative Officers Course, which is also a first for the Orange City Police Department. The next year, he was appointed chief of police.
“For 30 years, this department has been my home, every day a new challenge,” Thomas says. “As a police officer you get to make a difference every day; you get to help people, maybe even save a life. Nothing beats that kind of satisfaction, but I’m looking forward to retirement.”
Miller is no stranger to the law enforcement community too. Before serving with Orange City, Miller spent 30 years with the Port Orange Police Department.
