Hoosier Lottery Beneficiary, Local Police & Firefighters’ Pensions

Who retires after an exciting 24-year career at the Plainfield Police Department and moves onto a job that is even more challenging? The current Chief of Police at Indiana University Police Department, Jill L., that’s who.

To say Jill is passionate about her work would be an understatement. Her excitement for the job and dedication to her community has allowed her to make, and continue to make, a profound impact on the state of Indiana.

Jill’s passion for police work started when a high school teacher suggested she attend the Indiana State Police Career Camp, a week-long camp where students learn about all the possibilities a career in law enforcement could offer. The teacher even offered to pay for the experience through a service organization they were part of. Jill jumped at the chance, went to camp and immediately fell in love. At camp, she learned about the Cadet Officer Program at Indiana University and was inspired by women officers she met.

“That’s when the light bulb went off,” she said. “I knew I wanted to be a police officer and I knew I wanted to get into the cadet program at IU. I don't think I'd be Chief of Police today if I didn’t have that inspiration so early on in my life.”

After the Cadet Officer Program at Indiana University, she became an officer at the Plainfield Police Department.

Jill worked her way up to Deputy Chief and had a lot of specialties during her time in Plainfield, Ind. Those specialties included being a school resource officer, teaching the DARE program and riding a police bike. She was also a field trainer, hostage negotiator, police chaplain, accreditation manager, public information officer and did a lot with community engagement.

“I really had a great relationship with the community,” she said. “I enjoyed connecting with business owners, community groups, school kids, you name it. That’s how I thought I could best serve the community.”

Jill is a big believer in opportunity. “It’s my favorite word,” she said. “I constantly preach about opportunities and either capturing them when they come or creating your own. There are many times when I had to create my own opportunities.”

This might be why when the opportunity to become the Chief of Police at the Indiana University Police Department came knocking, Jill answered wholeheartedly.

“Being the Chief of a Big Ten police department is a lot,” she said. “We are involved in all the different campus departments, student organizations, and sporting events, as well as all the day-to-day things. Everything is on a larger scale, and I’m excited to be able to learn and grow here.”

But while it’s a lot of work, it’s also a dream job. “I got to work the women's basketball game when they beat Purdue. It doesn't get any better than that,” she said.

Jill is passionate about mentoring other officers and is thankful to her own mentor, Major Nila Miller-Cronk for her support over the years. Jill is also very focused on bringing more women into the field.

“Now I can influence how things are going for our women,” she said. “IUPD has signed the 30 by 30 initiative, which is a commitment and a pledge to hire more women and have 30 percent of women officers on the force by 2030.”

When she’s not working, Jill enjoys spending time with her family, especially her grandson. She also makes sure to find time to run, exercise and read, all activities that help her decompress after a stressful day.

Jill is proud to be a lifelong Hoosier and is thankful for all the opportunities the Hoosier state has given her.

The Hoosier Lottery would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Jill and all the other police department personnel who make a huge difference in the lives of so many, each and every day.