Victor Manuel Rivera Gonzalez (born 1948 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico

Vega Baja, Puerto Rico

Vega Baja is a municipality in north central Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Morovis; east of Manatí; and west of Vega Alta. Vega Baja is spread over 13 wards and Vega Baja Pueblo...

) is a Puerto Rican attorney and former Secretary of Corrections and Chief of Police

Chief of police

A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...

, known in Puerto Rico, especially among prisoners and police officers, for his work during Sila María Calderón

Sila María Calderón

Sila María Calderón Serra is a Puerto Rican politician and businesswoman who served as the seventh Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2005. She is the first and, to date, only woman elected to that office...

's administration.

After receiving an Education and later a Law degree from the University of Puerto Rico

University of Puerto Rico

The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...

, Rivera Gonzalez gained experience and reputation working in various law-related fields, including the prosecutor's office, Interpol

Interpol

Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...

 and NIE

NIE

NIE or Nie may mean:* Nie , a Chinese family name**Nie Er, Chinese composer**Nie Rongzhen, Chinese Marshal*NIE , a Polish weekly magazine by Jerzy Urban...

 (Special Investigations Bureau). He was later named Superior Court Judge, a position he held for a large part of his career.

After Sila María Calderón

Sila María Calderón

Sila María Calderón Serra is a Puerto Rican politician and businesswoman who served as the seventh Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2005. She is the first and, to date, only woman elected to that office...

 was elected governor of Puerto Rico in 2000, she appointed Rivera Gonzalez to be her Secretary of Corrections and later police superintendent, or police chief of the entire Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Rivera Gonzalez, identified with the Popular PPD party, but having no particular loyalties to any of the major parties, was well known and liked by many, if not most of the prisoners soon after becoming Secretary of Corrections, due to his strong support for rehabilitation rather than mere punishment. Rivera Gonzalez would even, on occasion, reward good behavior in his prisons by inviting celebrities like Sugar Ray Leonard

Sugar Ray Leonard

Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...

 for exhibition matches or by creating basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 tournaments among the prisons.

Halfway through his tenure, Governor Calderón switched Rivera Gonzalez and Miguel Pereira's posts, making the latter Secretary of Corrections and allowing Rivera Gonzalez to become Superintendent Chief of Police.

Rivera would once again find support, this time from most police officers, who felt he was aware of their needs and problems and was not interested in simply moving up politically.

Rivera Gonzalez, however, did not complete his 4 year term, leaving on January 6, 2003. He cited economic reasons for leaving public office.

Today, Rivera Gonzalez enjoys a less rigorous routine, working at a private Law firm in San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

, where he specializes in Construction Law

Construction law

Construction law is a body of law that deals with matters relating to building construction and related fields. It covers a wide range of legal issues including contract law, bonds and bonding, guarantees and sureties, liens and other security interests, tendering, construction claims, and related...

. He has been married to actress Gladys Rodríguez

Gladys Rodríguez

Gladys Rodríguez born June 4, 1943 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, is an actress, comedian and television host.-Early years:Rodríguez was born in Santurce, a section of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. Her parents moved to New York City when she was still a child. In New York, she received her...

for more than 20 years, and two of his children have followed in his footsteps by studying Law as well.

External links

• http://www.morovispuertorico.com/orgullosmorovenos.html
• http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/28/us/two-front-battle-in-puerto-rico-crime-and-apathy.html
• http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/2002/vol6n51/Media1-en.html