A woman in a man's world

According to the FBI, in 2013, 88.4 percent of full-time law enforcement officers nationwide were male.

Rachel Miller is one officer who has not let that statistic slow her down.

Growing up in a military family, Miller always knew she wanted to give back to her country but wasn’t sure how. “My dad was a submarine captain in the Navy. I think because my family moved around so much, I didn’t like the idea of being in the military,” she recalled.

It wasn’t until she enrolled in Trident Technical College that Miller decided criminal justice was her path. “Law enforcement gave me a way to give back to my country and my community but still have control of my personal life,” she said.

The decision to enter a field that was, and still is predominantly male, was something that Miller took into account but did not let deter her.

Since graduating with her associate degree, Miller has had an extensive career with a variety of experiences. After graduating, she went to work at the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in North Charleston. Being in the booking department, Miller was reaffirmed by seeing all the female officers that came in.

Following her time at the detention center, Miller moved to the Mount Pleasant Police Department, where she became certified as a police officer in 2000. While at Mount Pleasant Police Department, Miller worked patrol, crime scene, and as a field training officer.

After nine years, Miller was looking for a change. With Mount Pleasant PD, she was mostly in a patrol car waiting for calls to come in, but she wanted to be immersed in the community population.

In 2009, Miller was presented with an opportunity to work in MUSC’s Department of Public Safety and accepted.

“When I got here, they explained that it’s smaller and different, but I love that I’m with the people all day long,” said Miller.

Miller has since moved up from a public safety officer to corporal, which entails being a shift supervisor. Miller currently works the midnight shift, supervising six officers and a security officer who works at Harborview Office Tower.

“Midnights are quieter, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t out there being active. During the day you’re reacting to calls, whereas at night, you have to be patrolling and visible because we act as a deterrent to crime,” said Miller.

She and her team also have to help any time a potential safety issue brings a patient to the Trauma Center. When a victim of a gunshot, stabbing or other violent crime is brought to MUSC's Trauma Center, hospital security is notified and Public Safety must respond. They control both the traffic going into the trauma parking lot and the trauma door foot traffic, and they have officers in the waiting room helping with security control.

While instances such as helping in trauma cases are rewarding to Miller, she gets a great sense of accomplishment from the smaller tasks as well.

“Even the little things here, like helping someone change a tire, someone who locked their keys in their car, or, if someone needs directions – it is all important,” she said.

Miller’s job doesn’t stop there. She goes above and beyond her required duties to help make MUSC as safe as possible. One of her accomplishments has been the design and implementation of the Cautionary Advisement program. Under this program, Public Safety officers leave notes if they notice something that could put a civilian at risk of being a victim.

“We find doors open, keys in the locks, students leaving book bags and laptops in the library. Under this program, if we see something like that, we just leave a note basically saying we saw it while patrolling and secured it for them,” said Miller.

Miller’s voluntary efforts extend beyond the walls of Public Safety. In November, she, along with other female members of the department, put on weekly bake sales, which ended up raising more than $1,000. The women divided up the money to spread the generosity. They gave half to the MUSC Institute of Psychiatry children’s ward through the purchase and donation of coloring books, colored pencils and other toys, and they gave the other half to My Sister’s House, a local nonprofit that provides services, programs and resources to empower domestic violence victims.  

Miller has since taken a step back from her extensive volunteering to focus on her academic career. When she is not working, she is taking online courses to obtain her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. “I hope that will give me more of an opportunity to move up in my career,” said Miller.

One inspiration for Miller’s career growth aspirations has been Major Delores Simmons. “Here you have a woman who has reached the rank of patrol commander and who is so respected. Seeing her day-to-day has reinforced for me that is something I could potentially do down the road,” praised Miller.

While pleased with her personal experiences, Miller is not naive about the stigma some people have against women in law enforcement.

“There are some people who you just aren’t going to change the way they feel. I can’t change if someone thinks women shouldn’t be in law enforcement, but I can control how I react to that. I just try to do my job and do it well,” she said proudly.

Miller doesn’t see her career slowing down anytime soon. “I plan to finish out my career here at MUSC. I am very happy here, and I hope to advance within Public Safety. I’ve been blessed to be able to do a lot, and now I am ready to step into that leadership role and give back to some of the newer people and be a positive influence on those who haven’t been in the field very long.”

Editor's Note: MUSC is celebrating Women's History Month by honoring four trailblazing women in labor and business.