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On Feb. 28, Greenville Police Chief Justin Lovvorn awarded local resident Tommy Rivers with an honorary police badge, recognizing his lifelong dedication and public service to the community. Rivers, known for his commitment to cleanliness and safety in Greenville, was visibly moved during the ceremony.

“I just want to thank everyone,” Rivers said during his acceptance. “All the police here today and the news people … just thank you so much.”

Chief Lovvorn highlighted Rivers’ remarkable contributions, spanning over 30 years.

 “Tommy Rivers has always been very supportive of the community. He has walked miles upon miles around the city for years, going to different parking lots and businesses and taking his own time to clean up,” Lovvorn said. “Even though they didn’t pay him, if he saw trash in a parking lot, he would come and clean it up.

“He’s also always been so supportive of the police department, if he saw something happening, he would call us and be as honest as he could be about whatever was happening to help us take care of things and keep people safe. The way he’s been able to do this constantly just really made an impression on us.”

Chief Lovvorn emphasized the significance of this recognition, one of the first of its kind.

“At this point, it’s been over 30 years so I talked with the mayor, and we deemed that this would be appropriate for him,” Lovvorn said. “This is one of the first times that we have ever done this, to present an honorary badge to someone for their service and dedication and their lifelong achievements here in Greenville. It’s all the little things that he does every day that makes this so special. We need more people like Tommy Rivers out there.”

Police Captain Joe Disney also commended Rivers, recalling his ever-vigilant presence in the community. 

“Tommy’s been around here for a long long time and he’s done a great job. I can remember when he would sit in Super Foods parking lot and if anybody did anything wrong, he would call them out on it and call us. He would walk around with a scanner like it was his own radio,” Disney said. “He’s just always been on it and he does a really great job keeping people on their toes and keeping everything cleaned up.”

During the ceremony, Rivers was also presented with a certificate from Mayor Dexter Mclendon, further acknowledging his outstanding service to the community.