The City of Goleta is pleased to welcome veteran law enforcement professional Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Sergeant Noel Rivas to the Goleta Motors Unit. Sgt. Rivas’ first day with the City was on Monday, February 22nd. He took over for Sgt. John Maxwell who was just promoted to Lieutenant and has moved on to a new assignment.
Sgt. Rivas, a life-long resident of Santa Barbara County, is bilingual and comes to the City with 40 years of law enforcement experience.
City Manager Michelle Greene said, “We are excited to have Sergeant Rivas join the Goleta Motors Unit. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the position and will be an asset in increasing traffic safety in Goleta.”
Sgt. Rivas said, “I am truly excited to become the new City of Goleta Traffic Unit Motor Sergeant. I had my first interaction with a motor officer when I was in second grade and I knew I wanted to ride a motorcycle. In my 29 years with the Santa Barbara Police Department I worked on/off on a motorcycle for 23 of those years. I feel like I’ve come full circle and I am honored to serve the Goleta community.”
Sgt. Rivas moved to Santa Barbara when he was four years old. He attended local schools including Harding Elementary, La Colina Junior High, San Marcos High School, Santa Barbara City College, and UCSB. He began his career as a Corrections Officer/Reserve Deputy with the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office four days shy of his 19th birthday. He was then hired at the Santa Barbara Police Department retiring after 29 years. During his time with the SBPD, Sgt. Rivas held several different positions, including Field Training Officer, Gang Enforcement, School Resource Officer, Beat Coordinator, Motor Officer, Patrol Supervisor, Detective Supervisor, Traffic/Motors Supervisor and Motor Sergeant. During his past eight years with the Sheriff’s Office, he has been assigned to every station in South County and worked as bailiff for the Santa Barbara Superior Court.
In addition to welcoming Sgt. Rivas to Goleta, we want to take this opportunity to thank Lt. Maxwell for his two and a half years of service to the City. Lt. Maxwell has spent the majority of his 19 years at the Sheriff’s Office working in and around the Goleta Valley.
Lt. Maxwell said, “I can honestly say that the opportunity to work so closely with the City of Goleta over the past few years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I will miss working with City staff, and the community, to help keep Goleta the amazing place to live and work that it is.”
Best of luck in your future endeavors Lt. Maxwell and welcome Sgt. Rivas, we wish you a great chapter ahead in your new assignment.
Sergeant Noel Rivas
Lieutenant John Maxwell