Sheriff Rosie Rivera
THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 3 2020 | 7:30-9:00 pm
What does policing look like from the vantage point of the Salt Lake County Sheriff, who is a race and gender minority?
GATHERING AT:
Your home or hang out of choice via Zoom.
Thanks to Jana Spangler hosting us via Zoom. Below is some helpful info for being part of a Zoom convo. Close to the event date I will send the Zoom link via email. If you are not on my email list then either join at the bottom of this site’s home page or text me at 801-695-5036.
Grab a comfortable chair and join us!
THE CONVERSATION:
Sheriff Rosie has a fascinating story. It is remarkable, given the challenges often posed by her race and gender, and becoming a single mother at such a young age, that she has risen to where she is and in this time and place. Hearing the experience and perspectives of such a person is invaluable given the current circumstances. What does being a woman and minority bring to her job in how she sees, understands, and reacts to the needs of protesters, the general public, and her police officers?
Here are the questions I was most curious about that I submitted to her:
- Share a little of your life story of how you got to where you are—from a little minority girl, single mom, to your current position.
- What are some critical things that you’ve learned along the way?
- What does it feel like to be a police officer? The dangers, risks, concerns, unknowns, disadvantages, stress, etc. And the pay and benefits.
- How do you believe the police view the public in general, and those who may be causing harm to the public?
- How are you doing? Seems like a really hard time to be in law enforcement.
- What are your greatest concerns for minorities in relation to policing?
- What are your greatest concerns for police in relation to their safety and welfare?
- Why do you think the public hasn’t been very aware of the tensions that have recently exploded but have always been there?
- What are some of the systemic racism structures that you have seen and even experienced in your own life that those who are more privileged can work on rectifying?
- What areas of policing do you think can be handled by more social service specialists?
- What do you hope the general voting public can/will do to help alleviate the long term and now very immediate problems with policing, racism, and use of deadly force?
- How can this group and the public better support both minorities and our police?
- What things do you wish we and the public would better understand?
Depending on the time remaining and the inclination of you who attend, we may break into smaller virtual groups to explore your experiences and thoughts on the topic. There is no pressure to participate in this but some of the most meaningful conversations are held in these small groups. We’ll then come back to the larger group and share what came up as well as have the opportunity to ask our presenter questions. (Please remember to share air time. You can find guidelines for productive conversations here).
ABOUT ROSIE
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 Valley Emergency Communications Center Advisor Board, Salt Lake Area Gang Project Governing Board, Metro Narcotics Task Force Advisory Board and she serves as the Chair of the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee for Salt Lake County. Most recently she was asked to participate in the Commission on Protecting Privacy and Preventing Discrimination with the Office of the State Auditor.
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 Unified 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.
EXPLORE BEFORE WE MEET:
Here is some information I found useful:
Spotlight Sheriff: Sheriff Rosie Rivera
This is Her Place, Episode 1. “Don’t Try to Be a Man”: Rosie Rivera and Claire Ferguson
ICAP Website (International Association of Chiefs of Police)
ICAP: 10 Ways Community Members Can Engage with Law Enforcement
Thoughts on policing by police
Interesting story of a day in the life of a cop
LISTEN TO OUR RECORDED CONVERSATION HERE
TIPS FOR BETTER ZOOMING
Before you begin the Zoom Conversation:
- Prior to when we meet, get your camera and mic ready and troubleshoot any problems. It would be wise to do a dry run with the camera and microphone on your device before we converse. Best to have the camera at eye level so that it is as if we would talk to each other in person. You can use a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop.
- If you are having difficulty with the technology, don’t hold up the meeting by distracting other participants for solutions. Try Googling your problem. I do that with most of my life’s problems.
- Find a quiet place to get comfortable and that you can hang out in for a couple of hours.
- Be aware that the rest of the group can see you and what is behind you. Avoid having bright lights, distracting images, or people or pets wandering around behind you. No Bigfoot bombing in the background please.
- Please don’t wander around doing other things. This is not General Conference, it’s a CONVERSATION.
- And don’t pick your nose. Besides, we aren’t supposed to be touching our faces anyway right now.
- Mute your microphone when you are not speaking so noises are not heard by everyone else
- Resist the urge to multitask—be with us people. Knitting is still allowed though.
- Please share air time and follow the guidelines under “Intentions” on this website.
To enter the Zoom conversation:
- Click on the Zoom link above, and if a password is requested, enter the one given above.
- Once you click the link Zoom should open, and you should be able to see and hear other participants.
- If you can’t hear the host, me, or others, find your settings and make sure you have a working microphone and speaker selected. Also, make sure you have your volume up.
