Lonzo Ingram Steps Down as Greenville Police Chief

Former Chief Ingram giving new Chief Justin Lovvorn a few tips.

After 45 years in law enforcement with almost 32 of them as the Greenville Police Chief, Lonzo Ingram retired at the last city council meeting. He turned in his badge and is letting the next generation of law enforcement step forward.

Ingram changed a lot in his time as chief, including bringing in a new fleet of police cars and reinstating the Investigation’s Department. Most importantly, he trained and inspired his replacement: Former Chief Investigator Justin Lovvorn.

“Well, when I first came here in 1985, we had four or five old black-and-white police cars with 200,000 miles on them,” Ingram remembered. “We didn’t even have an electric typewriter at the police department. I call it sharing the vision. You know, you can have a vision, but if nobody doesn’t share your vision, it’s hard to get it accomplished.”

“He has influenced me, he has mentored me, he has always been fair with all his employees,” said new Chief Justin Lovvorn. “And that’s a trait I take to heart, and will try to continue as well. The best thing that ever happened in my law enforcement career is that I got Lonzo Ingram as my chief.”

Ingram’s time as chief is not quite finished; technically, he is on leave until the beginning of the year. He’s staying to help Lovvorn settle into the job and train him on a few more things before 2017.