City of Goose Creek

Tom Hill, who has served as the City of Goose Creek’s Interim Police Chief for the past five months, has been promoted to be the City’s permanent Chief. He was sworn in by Mayor Habib following a unanimous City Council vote at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. 

Chief Hill joined the Goose Creek Police Department in 2005 and has held a wide range of positions over the past 21 years.

Mayor Habib said Chief Hill's service as Interim Chief provided an opportunity to observe his leadership firsthand.

“These months have allowed us to watch him on the job,” Mayor Habib said. “He has shown, without question, an ability to lead with confidence and enthusiasm, and handle a crisis. He is trusted and respected by his fellow officers, and he’s going to be a great Police Chief for Goose Creek.”

Chief Hill thanked Mayor Habib and City Council for the opportunity.

“This is the honor of my life, and the opportunity of a lifetime,” he said. “Both of my uncles were police officers, and since I was a child I dreamed of following in their footsteps. The City helped me fulfill that dream in 2005. To now be named Goose Creek’s Police Chief is an incredible honor.”

He said he is looking forward to getting to work.

“This Police Department will do our part to keep Goose Creek the best place to raise a family,” he said. “We will emphasize training and accountability, for our police officers and for me. We’re going to be a partner with the other law enforcement agencies in the region.”

Chief Hill said community engagement and initiatives will remain a top priority for the GCPD: “Nothing is more important than an open line of communication between residents and their police department.” 

Chief Hill brings experience in nearly every facet of police operations to his new role.  After beginning his career as a Patrol Officer, he was promoted to Corporal in 2007, and Sergeant in 2008, and later to Lieutenant, all in the Department’s Patrol Division. He’s been a member of the City’s SWAT team, a Crisis Negotiator, Firearms Instructor, Ethics Instructor and Polygraph Examiner.

He took advantage of the City’s tuition reimbursement program to take classes when he wasn’t on the clock, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Limestone College and a Master’s in Criminal Justice from Charleston Southern University. 

After shifting from Patrol to Internal Affairs, he was promoted to Captain over the Administrative Services Division in 2019, and then was Captain over Field Services in 2020. In 2022, he was named Captain over the Department’s Support Services (Investigation) unit.

His family moved to Goose Creek from North Carolina when he was 14 years old – his father was in the U.S. Navy. Chief Hill attended Sedgefield Middle School and Goose Creek High School.

When he’s not on the job, the City’s new Police Chief enjoys hunting and spending time with his family, including his wife, Kristy, and the couple’s three children, all of whom were in attendance for Tuesday’s swearing-in.

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