During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bearden Police Chief Nathan Greeley did more than just police his hometown; he also delivered medicine, conducted wellness checks and even purchased and delivered essentials for housebound residents of Bearden.
When Congressman Bruce Westerman, R-AR4, put out a call on Facebook to recognize Hometown Heroes, Bearden Mayor Ginger Bailey knew exactly who to nominate.
Tuesday, Westerman stopped at Bearden as part of his three-day Hometown Heroes tour and recognized Greeley stating, “We’re making our way around the district. We had the idea to put in on social media to honor hometown heroes throughout the pandemic and Chief Greeley was nominated. I’m grateful to come by and say thank you today. You went above and beyond by taking meals to people.”
Greeley remained humble, stating, “I hate bragging on myself. I never do it. I just try to be a good Christian man and continue that through my work. Times have been hard and when people come together and you help your family, your neighbor, your friends, it makes a huge huge impact.”
“Our whole town needs to be recognized for the great things they’ve done,” the police chief added.
Westerman noted that it was refreshing to hear about Greeley’s good deeds, saying “We hear so much about tension between the public and law enforcement, it’s good to have somebody in law enforcement go out and helping.”
Chief Greeley acknowledged this, saying, “It’s a horrible time, I think, in the law enforcement community. There for a while, I kind of felt ashamed of being a cop with everything that’s gone on, but if I can do everything the right way and in a positive way I can try and open up peoples eyes and let them know… My name’s Nathan, I’m not just a white police officer that carries a gun.”
Greeley later took to Facebook, saying, ”I received a phone call last week from his office saying that I had been nominated by Mayor Ginger Bailey and chosen to receive a ‘Home Town Hero Award’ for community service performed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
“My first thought was that there are so many other people across Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District that deserve it more than me. I just tried to do my part by helping others and being a servant to God.
”Bearden has blessed Trooper (his son and I so much after deciding to move here over a year ago. You continually shower us with your love and support and we enjoy returning the favor. We love you all and it’s our privilege to serve,” he said.