We had the opportunity to interview Sheriff Rosie Rivera for this podcast episode!

After beginning her career in law enforcement in 1993, Rosie Rivera was sworn in as Sheriff of Salt Lake County on August 15, 2017, becoming the first female sheriff elected in the State of Utah. During her decades long career, Rivera ascended from officer to detective, sergeant, lieutenant, deputy chief and ultimately sheriff. She has served in many capacities during her tenure, including patrol, community policing, gang detective, investigations, narcotics, administration, and as department spokeswoman. In her current role, Rivera oversees the largest jail and largest court security bureau in Utah and serves as CEO of the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake.

Sheriff Rivera believes in transparency in law enforcement and justice for all. She is passionate about finding alternatives to incarceration by supporting programs such as drug addiction treatment, mental health treatment, and additional housing for the homeless. As sheriff she has put these passions into action by building a more diverse team, bringing Medically Assisted Treatment into the jail, supporting and implementing pretrial release programs, and creating a transparent and fiscally responsible approach to the budget process. She has advocated for victims and survivors of domestic violence throughout her career and remains actively involved in mentoring gang-involved youth.
Sheriff Rivera serves on the boards of numerous organizations and currently serves on the Salt Lake County Opioid Task Force, Salt Lake County Advisory Board for the Family Justice Center, Salt Lake Area Gang Project Governing Board, and the Metro Narcotics Task Force Advisory Board. She also serves as Chair of the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee for Salt Lake County and of the Nominations Committee for Major County Sheriffs of America. Most recently, Rivera was asked to participate in the Commission on Protecting Privacy and Preventing Discrimination with the Office of the State Auditor and she was selected to serve as member of the Council on Criminal Justice Task Force on Policing.

Sheriff Rivera has received many awards throughout her career. As sheriff, she has been
honored with the 2018 Tonahuac Award, 2018 Ignacio Zaragoz Award, 2018 Sundance Women in Leadership Award, 2019 American Society of Public Administration Distinguished Service Award, 2019 YWCA Outstanding Achievement Award for Public Service, the 2020 Rosa Parks Award and 2021 (SAAM) Sexual Assault Awareness Award. Sheriff Rivera is the mother of three children and grandmother to six.