Eliezer “Eli” Rivera is the 13th elected Cheshire County Sheriff in New Hampshire, first elected to Office in 2012, currently serving his 5th term. He is the first Latino elected as Sheriff in New Hampshire. He was born in New York City and raised in Puerto Rico. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 1982, honorably discharged after serving five years active duty in 1989, transferring to the United States Army Reserve for an additional seven years. As a member of the United States Coast Guard, he served as a Boatswain Mate 3rd Class, a Boarding Safety Officer, a Spanish Interpreter onboard Unites States Navy Ships as part of a Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, patrol boat and heavy weather rescue boats coxswain. In the Army Reserve, he was initially assigned to a Military Police Unit and later transferred to an Army Instructor Unit. In 1989, he moved to Keene, NH, and worked for the Cheshire County New Hampshire Department of Corrections and the Winchester New Hampshire Police Department before joining the Keene New Hampshire Police Department in 1991, where he retired as a Police Lieutenant in 2012. As a Keene Police Department member, he served as a Shift Commander, Police Prosecutor, Undercover Detective, Field Training Officer and Supervisor, Special Response Tactical Officer, and numerous other assignments.
He is a graduate of the 2013 National Sheriff’s Association Institute and is an appointed member of the New Hampshire Governor’s Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion. He is a Team Rubicon Clay Hunt Fellow, a national disaster response organization that unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to deploy to disasters rapidly. He enjoys volunteering with non-profits, outdoor cooking, beekeeping, wood crafting, and tending to his micro-farm on his off time.