The Homewood Village Board welcomed a new member of the police department during the May 26 meeting, when Officer Lorielle Brown took the oath of office surrounded by many friends and family members.
According to Homewood Police Chief Thomas Johnson, Brown joins the Homewood Police Department as a certified police officer with previous experience in law enforcement and corrections.
A graduate of Hillcrest High School, Brown continued her education at several institutions, including St. Louis Community College – Meramec, Ashford University, South Suburban College and Western Illinois University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in law enforcement administration from Western Illinois, Johnson said.
Brown graduated from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Academy in August 2023. Before coming to Homewood, she served with the Romeoville and South Holland police departments. She also worked as a correctional officer with the Cook County Department of Corrections prior to becoming a police officer, he said.
According to Johnson, Brown applied for the position through the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners’ entry-level hiring process. Commissioners reviewed her background and unanimously approved a conditional offer of employment in March. The offer was contingent on the successful completion of required polygraph, psychological and medical examinations.
Because Brown was already a certified police officer, she was able to begin her career with the Homewood Police Department without additional training, he said.
“I don’t think everyone understands how difficult it is to hire high-quality police officers right now,” Homewood Trustee Patrick Siemsen said, adding, “not only are we getting extremely high-quality candidates, we’re seeing diversity, and sometimes that’s hard to get those two things.”
Brown is the first Black female to join the Homewood Police Department, making it a “historical night,” Siemsen said.
“Kudos to Tom, the Police and Fire Commission, everybody that is out there trying to recruit our candidates to better reflect our community and give our residents the best public safety services they can,” Siemsen said.
