A Rock Island County Sheriff’s deputy with almost three decades on the force has announced his candidacy for the position of Sheriff.
Timothy Gillette, a Rock Island County Sheriff’s deputy for 28 years, announced his candidacy for Sheriff. The position is vacant after Sheriff Darren Hart announced he will not seek re-election. Gillette graduated from Rock Island High School in 1994 and attended post high school studies at St. Andrews University in North Carolina on a baseball scholarship. After college, he returned to Rock Island County and began working in construction and labor to raise a family.
Gillette felt called to service during this time and attended a corrections academy. He worked as a corrections officer in the Rock Island County Jail from 1997 to 2001 and also served on the ASMFE Labor Council. He helped develop the first Corrections Emergency Response Team. On September 11, 2001, Gillette was promoted and sworn in as a sheriff’s deputy. He trained at the Illinois Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois before being sworn in.
Gillette has learned a great deal about the many aspects of the sheriff’s department over his 28 years of service. He has served on the Emergency Service Team, the Warrant Division, ILEAS Unified Command Post, transport teams, the court services team, the Motorcycle Unit, The Water Rescue Team, as a juvenile officer, officer supporting juveniles attending alternative schools and as a state firearms instructor. He was also the first deputy with the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Department to administer Narcan in a drug overdose response emergency.
Gillette is father to five children. He is passionate about youth sports and coached his children when he was able. He believes that cybercrimes, vehicle crimes and dangerous drugs such as fentanyl deserve to be directly addressed and that focusing on community policing will help to build stronger and safer communities.
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