Tube City Almanac

November 10, 2012

Donated Police K-9 Honors Officer's Memory

Category: News || By


Above, Mayor Mike Cherepko thanks Gwendolyn and Frank Miller of Murrysville and Doug Krause of Hinckley, Ohio, for their donation of police K-9 officer Farkle to the city's department. The dog was donated in memory of the Millers' son, city police Officer Frank Miller Jr. (Almanac photo)

. . .

The family and friends of a slain city patrolman have donated a police dog to honor his memory.

"Farkle," a Dutch shepherd, began training with city police Officer Nick Matthews and Lt. Tim Bliss in March. The dog's name was the childhood nickname of Officer Frank Miller Jr., 25, who was shot to death 19 years ago today while on foot patrol Downtown.

Matthews (shown at right) is a seven-year veteran of the city's force. Farkle is his first K-9 partner.

A Murrysville native, Miller was a graduate of Franklin Regional High School and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He had been serving as a city police officer for only six months when he was killed.

Farkle was donated by Miller's childhood best friend, Doug Krause, now of Hinckley, Ohio, and Miller's parents, Frank and Gwendolyn Miller.

The Millers and Krause were formally thanked by Mayor Michael Cherepko before Wednesday's city council meeting.

Miller was killed Nov. 10, 1993, while attempting to arrest a homeless man, Andre Harper, who grabbed control of Miller's service revolver and shot him twice. Now 57, Harper is serving life in prison without parole for the slaying.

Miller is buried in Penn-Lincoln Memorial Park in North Huntingdon Township. He was the seventh city police officer to be killed in the line of duty in the department's history. A monument on Lysle Boulevard near the public safety building is also dedicated to Miller.

You should type something in the 'comment'-field. Be sure to click on 'Post Comment' to store it permanently.






Your Comments are Welcome!

1
- February 25, 2015



One or more comments are waiting for approval by an editor.

To comment on any story at Tube City Almanac, email tubecitytiger@gmail.com, send a tweet to www.twitter.com/tubecityonline, visit our Facebook page, or write to Tube City Almanac, P.O. Box 94, McKeesport, PA 15134.