Traffic enforcement and evidence oversight were never part of the plan for Major Mendel Rivers. An aspiring electrical engineer, Rivers joined the U.S. Army at 19 and later set his sights on becoming a military police officer. But life, as it always seems to, had other plans. 

 “I thought, ‘Maybe I need to be doing something else,’” Rivers said of the Army not offering a bonus to reenlist. “During my travels between Fort Bragg and home, I always noticed the troopers on the road. I saw the uniform, the car, the independence and trust of being out on their own.” 

By 1990 the Gulf War conflict was ramping up, and Rivers served 7.5 months in Saudi Arabia in both Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

Before leaving for deployment, he applied with the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Unaware of his deployment, the patrol sent a letter offering him an interview. 

“I asked my girlfriend to call and tell them where I was, and that they would be my first phone call when I got back,” Rivers said. “And it was.”

Rivers began Patrol School in August 1991, and after graduating the following year, he was assigned to Troop 3, not realizing the doors his new career would open.

“When I came to the patrol, I did not have any particular goals — to be the Colonel or anything like that,” he said. “All I wanted to do was put the uniform on.”

Rivers received perhaps his most high-profile assignment to the Executive Protection Detail in 2001, providing security for Governors Jim Hodges and Mark Sanford and their families through 2006. He also served in the Highway Patrol’s Training Unit and the coveted Honor Guard before earning his current position as Central Evidence Facility (CEF) Commander in 2009. 

“The trainees were like an extension of family to me,” Rivers said of his three years with the Training Unit. “I felt like a proud papa because I saw what they achieved and who they grew into.”

Leadership is not only a priority for him, but a mindset.

“Anyone could supervise things, but can you get people to follow you?” he said. “I always wanted to be respected because of the person that I am, not the rank that I hold.”

After more than 36 years of service, Rivers has decided it is time to hang up the uniform and pass the torch. 

“I want to move out of the way so the next generation can move up and be able to work in the same capacity in which I have, because that might be their goal,” he said. “I want to retire and be able to enjoy life while I’m still able to.” 

Watching his team work together and take the initiative to improve the unit has given him the confidence to pursue his next path. With the comfort of knowing that his position will be left in good hands, Rivers looks forward to beginning his next chapter. 

“It’s not the last chapter,” he said. “God showed me what my purpose was as a highway patrolman. Now I get a new purpose.