GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Her voice and demeanor seems subdued and reserved. But underneath that mild-mannered façade is an unrelenting, and unapologetic, fervor.

Hired five years ago by the Green Cove Springs Police Department, Det. Cora Milliken has turned her job into a calling. She speaks for those who are afraid of the monsters who walk among us, and the innocent victims who are often too small, too afraid to speak for themselves.

“This is personal to me,” Milliken said. “I do it because they are children and they deserve to be protected. As long as I live, until I take my last breath, I want to ensure that I'm able to provide some type of safety and justice for children.”

It is work that has put criminals behind bars and caught the attention of lawmakers around the state. She was recognized on the floor of the Florida House of Representatives by Rep. Judson Sapp on March 5 as the Law Enforcement Officer of the Day, where she received thunderous applause from both sides of the aisle.

Then on Wednesday, April 22, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier honored Milliken during a National Crime Victims' Rights Week ceremony at the State Capitol to honor law enforcement officers and victim advocates for their dedicated efforts to support crime victims. Called the Distinguished Victim Services Awards, her dedication to get “monsters” off the streets was recognized.

“You got to have people like that in your department, especially on your detective staff, that are willing to ask that extra question, willing to dig that extra inch,” GCSPD Public Information Officer Josh Lee said. “I came across a couple of cases and after speaking with the victims in a couple of those cases, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Cora would be following up and investigating, and I would be able to assure my victim, ‘Listen, the detective that's picking this case up is just going to annihilate everything there is about this case. She has your best interest at heart, 100%.

“I'm very confident in bringing any of these types of cases, any case really, but especially these types of cases, to her. I don’t worry about the investigation past that point because I know she's going to hammer it out until it's done. It just seems like there's so much of this going on now.”

“Unfortunately, I get more than the public knows,” Milliken said.

One of her cases involved a 15-year-old girl from North Carolina who was living with a man in a tent in Green Cove Springs.

“I was able to obtain a full confession from him,” Milliken said. “When I reviewed everything, it was a much larger case. I worked with Homeland Security, and we were able to get him federally indicted and federally sentenced.”

Christopher Allen Hawkins, 40, of Green Cove Springs, was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison after he pleaded guilty to transporting a child for sex.

“God's children are not for sale,” Milliken said.

Milliken said she is driven by a sense of purpose because she has a daughter and she wants to make sure the world is a safer place than it was for her.

“The world is ever-changing and technology has become the most dangerous thing for kids,” she said. “I want to make sure that I do everything I can to try and take at least a couple monsters out of the world for her.”

Milliken investigates all crimes for Green Cove Springs, but she is compelled to be an advocate for children. When asked about looking for “predators,” she whispered a question to Lee. He turned and shook his head in agreement. Apparently, her choice of words, no matter how blunt, was perfectly acceptable.

“You say predator, but they're monsters,” Milliken said. “People who commit heinous crimes like this, they're not people. They're in every sense of the word a monster. So, if that means taking monsters, for lack of a better term, out of kids' closets, I'm going to do that. Every kid is scared of the dark. Every kid is scared of the monsters underneath their bed, and they don't realize that a monster could be just a human.”

Milliken said she is appreciative of her awards, but putting another monster in jail and freeing a child of mental and physical abuse is better than any standing ovation, plaque or trophy.

“I don’t want attention,” she said. “I’d be OK if I was in the shadows.”

For now, Milliken is far from the shadows. She is sharing the spotlight with her fellow Green Cove Springs Police officers. But when the cheering stops and the focus turns to other issues, she will be back at work, removing the monsters that lurk for the most vulnerable among us – our children.