Faces of Hall County: Kristen Miller

You may remember Officer Kristen Miller of the Gainesville Police Department from an act of kindness last year that went viral on social media.
Miller, along with Cpl. Jess Van, performed a welfare check on a 92-year-old woman that did not have power or water. The duo went into action and bought groceries, water and gave the elderly woman some cash to help out.
Kristen isn’t new to helping others as she spent years caring for her parents and became interested in law enforcement, “to help people,” she said. 
We recently caught up with Kristen to find out more about her interests and love for the Hall County community.
 
Question: Tell us a little about your background, family, work, school, etc.  
Answer: “My family has played a big role in my life. Both my parents had cancer; my mother had breast cancer followed by leukemia and my father had a brain tumor. I spent my high school and college experience taking care of them both. It was a struggle getting through school worrying about them and working to help pay bills the best I could. Unfortunately, my mother passed on May 8, 2009 and my father May 14, 2015. The struggle taught me how to stay strong in unfortunate circumstances and to cherish each day. Through it all I persevered and obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a forensics concentration in hopes of working as a crime scene investigator.”
 
Q: Who are some of the most interesting people you’ve met while living in Hall County?
A: “Gainesville as a whole has a diverse range of people. I enjoy learning about various cultures; one in particular is the Hispanic culture. I have had to learn a lot about the culture to better my interaction with them.”
 
Q: What led you to become a police officer? 
A: “It will sound cliché to say but I took this job to help people. I ultimately hope to get to crime scene, but the goal is the same. It’s important for people to know that when they become a victim whether of fraud, theft, or abuse that the police are there to help them.”
 
Q:  If you could give a piece of advice to a crowd of people what would you say? 
A: “I want everyone to look after one another and put the hate away. There are more important things in life than hating one another or arguing over petty things. I feel if people focused on what is important, like loved ones, then some of the strife I’ve come across would not exist.”
 
Q: What is your favorite thing about living and working in Hall County?
A: “Gainesville is a community oriented city, which I love. Everyone comes together during meaningful times. If you truly need help, the community will be there to lend a hand.”
 
Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County and why? 
A: “I don’t eat out much but when I do my go to place is Chick-fil-A. The employees are always polite and the service is quick, which works great when I’m on-duty and don’t have time to sit down and eat.”
 
The Faces of Hall County is a project to showcase the amazing people that live in our community. If you would like to nominate an interesting person to be featured please email babernathy@gonorton.com.