In 2015, Officer Timothy Jones won the first Best-Beard Contest following the Park Forest Police Department’s No-Shave November event to raise money for breast cancer research. Officer Jones, a University of Indianapolis graduate and rookie police officer, had already begun to make a name for himself as an officer both committed to fighting crime and being engaged in the community he served. However, Officer Jones was critically wounded in March of 2016 while apprehending an armed offender. Despite a life threatening injury and grim prognosis, Officer Jones has defied odds and is currently recovering at home. Officer Jones’ example as a student, athlete, and police officer serves as an example for young people everywhere.

As the ways to participate grow, we have renamed No-Shave November to Timstrong November & December. The Park Forest Police Department is proud to announce that with money raised through our 2018 Timstrong November & December event, will fund the Officer Timothy Jones Scholarship (minimum of $1,500) to two Park Forest youth who will be majoring in Criminal Justice at any accredited college or university in the 2018-19 school year.

To qualify, applicants must:

• Be a Park Forest resident
• Be a senior at any high school
• Have a grade point average of at least 2.75
• Have no significant negative contact with law enforcement
• Have no significant school disciplinary records (as determined by the student’s dean)

To receive the scholarship award, which will be paid directly to the educational institution, the winner must:

• Declare Criminal Justice as their college major
• Attend college courses in the 2018-19 school year at any accredited college or university

Interested applicants should complete the required application along with a minimum 400 word essay describing what the student plans to accomplish with their degree in Criminal Justice.

Completed applications and essays should be submitted no later than Jan. 14, 2019 at 5pm to brzyski@vopf.com or mailed to: 

Officer Timothy Jones Scholarship

Park Forest Police Department

200 Lakewood Blvd.

Park Forest, IL 60466

Applications will be reviewed by the Village of Park Forest Youth Commission and a recipient will be selected by that commission. The recipient will be acknowledged at the Park Forest Police Department’s annual Honors Ceremony on Saturday, January 26, 2019.

The members of the Park Forest Police Department are excited to be able to play a small part in helping one of our local students receive a college education in criminal justice, and to do so with a scholarship named after one of our own.