Colonel Scott E. Giles had a varied career with the Illinois State Police (ISP). After attending college at Hamline University and the University of Minnesota, he left Minnesota to become an ISP Trooper in 1985. Giles wanted a profession where he could make a positive difference in the lives of others, especially with those who were diverse. His dream was to be part of a law enforcement agency where he could be professional, honest, and ethical as a gay person. This was especially challenging during the 1980s when society was not as accepting or open to diversity as it is today.

Giles began his career patrolling the Chicago expressways. From there, he moved on to the Executive Protection Unit for Governor James R. Thompson as one of his bodyguards and then became his executive assistant. After working with Governor Thompson, he served in many areas of the ISP and was promoted to several ranks. Giles completed his career at the rank of Colonel in the Division of Forensic Services and had the responsibility for the statewide forensic science laboratory system overseeing over 800 personnel. It was during this time that the project to build a memorial park for the fallen Illinois State Police Officers began to be discussed and developed.

The ISP moved into a new headquarters in Springfield, Illinois, that used to belong to the AIG Corporation. Across the street, AIG owned an unused parcel of land. AIG was told the ISP was thinking about building a memorial park for fallen Troopers and was asked if they would consider selling their parcel. AIG donated it, and Colonels Jack Garcia and Scott Giles were asked to develop a plan for a memorial park. They formed a committee but needed someone with name recognition who could bring in private sponsors and large corporate contributions. Since Colonel Giles was Governor Thompson's former executive assistant, the Governor was asked to be the honorary chairperson of the memorial park. The Governor agreed, and the campaign began to raise monies to build the memorial park. The Illinois State Police Memorial Park was dedicated on October 2, 2018.