Robert Rivera
Police Officer

Robert Rivera

Illness
End of Watch December 15, 2020
Age 45
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
The Vigil Panel 173 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer Robert Rivera died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.

Officer Rivera had served with the Plainview Independent School District Police Department for two years and previously served with the Hale County Sheriff's Office for fifteen years.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Police Officer Robert Rivera died on December 15, 2020 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 45.

He is one of 884 officers honored here.

Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.

Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, three daughters, two grandchildren, three brothers, and two sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-C2CFFE64
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Police Officer Rivera gave the Plainview Independent School District Police Department 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the Plainview community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Rivera.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Plainview, TX
Platform Identity pisdpd.hale.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 15, 2020
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
Age 45
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Police Officer Robert Rivera is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In TX, 204 of 2,421 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 8.4% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.

Plainview Independent School District Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Illness
TX — Statewide
204
of 2,421 officers
8.4% Illness
Nationwide
2,974
of 32,508 officers
9.1% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Rivera's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Robert Rivera Compares

Age at End of Watch
45
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.8 years
Years of Service
17
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.9 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Rivera is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
185
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
181
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
291
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location