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Deputy Chief - Parole District 1 North & West
Thomas Hilliard | Deputy Chief District 1 North and West
Thomas L. Hilliard was named Deputy Chief for Parole District 1 North and West areas on June 18, 2018. He most recently served as Acting Deputy Chief on July 3, 2017 for Parole District 1 North and West areas. Prior to he served as Administrative Commander in District 1 South and East. In addition to administrative duties, he oversaw the Extradition Unit; organized violence reduction forums, including Project Safe Neighborhoods; served as trainer for parole agent cadet classes with emphasis on domestic violence-orders of protection and juvenile curriculum; and assisted with Summit of Hope events that provide parolees with needed resources.
A veteran of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), Hilliard began his career as a correctional officer at Dwight Correctional Center in 1994. While there, he served as crisis intervention officer. He transferred to Illinois Youth Center-Joliet in 1997 where he supervised male youths in a maximum-security facility and was assigned to the daily Quick Response Team and youth movement control. He was promoted to correctional leisure time activity specialist in 1998 and assisted in creating the Track and Field Program, in which youths competed with other Illinois youth centers. The program continued on with basketball, weightlifting and flag football competition. In 2000, Hilliard promoted to correctional parole agent and was assigned to District 1 Juvenile Parole, supervising youths in Will, Lake and Cook counties. In 2003, he promoted to juvenile parole supervisor of District 1. In that position, he served in creating the Juvenile Half Way Back Program located at IYC-Chicago that allowed District 1 agents to reconnect with juvenile parolees who had been disconnected from community services and supervision. The program afforded juveniles to be reconnected with family, schools, services and parole agents. During the Half Way Back Program, a GED component was also added to assist juveniles in reaching their educational needs. In 2011, Hilliard assisted the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice when its Aftercare Division began the transition of supervising all juveniles from the IDOC.
A veteran of the U. S. Army and Army National Guard, Hilliard served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and received the Commandant’s Award at the NCO Academy in 2007. Prior to beginning his career with the IDOC, Hilliard served as student security officer at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., where he ascended through the ranks to lieutenant. In 1994, he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Social Justice with an interest in Business Administration.