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Roswell Deputy Chief Linnea Rivard on leadership, career beginnings and the new police headquarters
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Summary
In a Women’s History Month episode of Inside Roswell, Deputy Chief Linnea Rivard described her responsibilities as second in command of the Roswell Police Department, outlined her leadership philosophy — 'firm but fair' with a 'can-do' approach — and praised the department’s CSI unit.
Deputy Chief Linnea Rivard of the Roswell Police Department described her role, career and leadership philosophy in an interview with Mayor Mary Robichaud on the Inside Roswell podcast.
Rivard said she is essentially second in command of the department and reports directly to the chief. “I handle basically all the day to day operations,” she said, listing oversight responsibilities that include the detective division, uniform patrol, traffic, SWAT, support services, evidence and 911/dispatch. She emphasized policy work, procedures and ensuring the chief’s decisions are implemented across the agency.
The interview came during March programming the mayor said would highlight women in leadership across city government. Robichaud also thanked Rivard and other public safety officers and noted Roswell’s new police headquarters is still under construction and expected to be finished soon.
Rivard traced her policing career to an early decision to enter law enforcement. She said she applied at 18 to work in the department’s detention center to get “her foot in the door” because applicants must be 21 to be sworn officers. “I don't remember a time where I didn't want to be a police officer,” she said, describing almost 28 years of experience.
On leadership, Rivard said a former chief taught her to be a “can do” police department: rather than reply that an officer or citizen’s request “can’t” be done, figure out what can be offered instead. “I always like to lovingly say, is to try to keep him out of trouble,” she said of her role supporting the chief. She described her own approach as “firm but fair,” stressing honesty, decisiveness, consistent expectations, training and adequate equipment.
Rivard also spoke about personal grounding outside the uniform. She said she is a single mother of two sons, ages 21 and 19, and is active in rescue work for giant-breed dogs; she competitively shows dogs and has a few acres of land. She recounted a recent surgery after which her sons came home to help, saying family unity is "my rock."
The deputy chief encouraged people considering law enforcement to know there are many specialty paths — traffic, K-9, detectives, narcotics — while noting that at the core of every role is public service and helping people. She recounted helping a citizen from another jurisdiction who asked for guidance while she was off-duty, saying that service orientation should be central to the profession.
Robichaud and Rivard also discussed the department’s specialized capabilities. Rivard praised Roswell’s crime scene investigators, calling the CSI unit among the best in the state of Georgia and crediting individual officers for building that expertise.
The episode closed with Mayor Robichaud thanking Rivard for joining the show and reiterating the podcast’s stated goals of transparency and trust in city government. “Be sure to follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcast,” Robichaud said.
What’s next: No formal votes or policy changes were discussed on the episode; the conversation was an informational profile of the deputy chief and the department.
