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| Members of the Westland Police Department are all smiles as they help Deputy Chief Brian Miller celebrate his retirement and ce;ebrate the promotions and the hiring of new officers at an official ceremony last week. |
Deputy Police Chief Brian Miller recently began his retirement from the city where he served on the police force for 25 years. Miller, who joined the Westland department in 1997, began his career in law enforcement in 1996 with the Wayne County Sheriff's Department. During his years with the Westland police he served as a field training officer, motorcycle operator, and handgun instructor. During his time as a sergeant with the department he oversaw the field training program and also served with the special victim crimes unit and as a forensic computer examiner.
While working in the Westland detective bureau, Miller was assigned to the Michigan Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. He was promoted to deputy chief of the department in 2013.Miller’s replacement in the department will be newly-promoted Deputy Chief Richard Kummert. Kummert joined the Westland police in 1997 and has served as a detective, SWAT team commander, firearms instructor, sniper instructor and LSA president.
Kummert is a graduate of the Wayne County Regional Police Academy and earned an associate's degree in criminal justice. He is preparing to graduate from the Eastern Michigan University School of Police Staff and Command.
Also promoted to a new rank in the department was Brian Humphrey who was named as the newest lieutenant. Humphrey is a graduate of the Macomb County Police Academy and has an associate's degree in business management and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
While a patrolman, he served as a field training officer and was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2013. He has been a detective and the second in command in the detective bureau since 2014.
Robert Schurig was promoted to the rank of sergeant. A Westland resident, Schurig was hired as a Westland police officer 2014. He is a graduate of Schoolcraft College where he earned an associate's degree in criminal justice.
Schurig was a Westland Police Explorer for 3 years before being hired as a Police Service Aide with the department. He served in that position for 3 years before joining the Auburn Hills Police Department. During his career with Westland, he has worked in the traffic bureau as an operating while impaired (OWI) specialist.
Schurig received the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Outstanding Officer award in both 2017 and 2018. This award is presented annually to the top OWI arresting officer in the State of Michigan.
In addition to the promotions, the department welcomed two new officers to the force.
Emily Key has joined the department as a patrol officer. She grew up in Howell and graduated from Kensington Woods High School. Key attended Lansing Community College with a focus on psychology and social work as well as Henry Ford Community College for Criminal Justice. She also attended the Washtenaw County Police Academy where she graduated in September 2021.
Key began as a Westland Police Service Aide in 2019 and was promoted to a trainer position. She is currently completing her department field training.
Reed Zielinski was also hired by the department. A lifelong resident of Westland, he graduated from John Glenn High school in 2016. He attended Madonna University for criminal justice and played college baseball.
Zielinski earned his associates degree in criminal justice from Schoolcraft College. He joined the Detroit Police Department after graduating from the academy in October of 2020.
In addition, two of the city police service aides are preparing to enter the Wayne County Regional Police Academy. Mohammed Alzayadi and Jackson Allison will join the Westland department upon completion of their academy studies.
