Sheriff
Sheriff Rosie Rivera was sworn in as Sheriff of Salt Lake County on August 15 , 2017, she is the first female Sheriff elected in the State of Utah. Sheriff Rivera began her career in law enforcement in 1993. She ascended in the following ranks, officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, Deputy Chief and on to Sheriff. Sheriff Rivera is the mother of three adult children and grandmother to six beautiful grandchildren.
Sheriff Rivera has served in many capacities during her tenure in law enforcement to include patrol, community policing, gang detective, investigations, narcotics, administration, public information and department spokesperson. She has served on a number of boards throughout the years, currently she 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, Metro Narcotics Task Force Advisory Board and she is past Chair of the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee for Salt Lake County.
Sheriff Rivera oversees the largest jail in the state of Utah, the largest Court Security Bureau in the state of Utah and she is the CEO over the United Police Department of Greater Salt Lake. Sheriff Rivera is known for her role in addressing the overcrowding in the jail by seeking out and supporting alternatives to incarceration. She supports drug and mental health treatment as well as prevention programs. Sheriff Rivera has advocated for victims and survivors of domestic violence for most of her career in Law Enforcement and is still actively mentoring gang involved youth.
Sheriff Rivera has received many awards throughout her career and specifically while Sheriff, she was awarded 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 and the 2020 Rosa Parks Award.
Sheriff Rivera believes in transparency in law enforcement as well as 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 in Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) to the jail, supporting and implementing pre-trial release programs, and creating a transparent and fiscally responsible approach to the budget process. She continues to work with community members, activists, and others to continually refine and improve law enforcement operations in Salt Lake County.