Thomas M. Hodgson

Thomas M. Hodgson is an American politician who served as Sheriff of Bristol County Massachusetts from 1997 to 2022.^[1]: 22

Tom Hodgson
Sheriff of Bristol County
In office June 2, 1997 – January 4, 2023
Preceded by	David Nelson
Succeeded by	Paul Heroux
Personal details
Born	c. 1954 (age 69–70)
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Terry Jo-Anne (c. 1999–present)
Education	Xavier University (Did not complete.)

Early life

Hodgson was born about 1954 and grew up in a large Catholic family in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He graduated from a Catholic military high school in Washington and attended Xavier University in Ohio for one year studying accounting.^[2][3][4] Hodgson worked as a police detective in Ocean City, Maryland, for six years until he resigned in the early-1980's to work for his brother's landscaping business. He moved to Massachusetts in 1985 and worked in an office supply company in Quincy, Massachusetts. He left to work in another brother's accounting firm.^[5]

New Bedford city councilor

Hodgson was elected to the New Bedford City Council in 1988.^[2]: B4 He served until resigning to become Sheriff in 1997; at the time of his resignation, he was the council's only Republican.^[5]

Bristol County sheriff

Election history

Hodgson was appointed sheriff of Bristol County by then-Governor William F. Weld on May 21, 1997.^[6] He won election to a full six-year term in 1998 and moved to Fall River the next year. He garnered press for charging inmates for room and board, medical services and hair cuts while in jail and for getting rid of televisions and the weight room. He instituted chain gangs.^[2] In the 2016 election, he ran unopposed.^[7]

Outgoing Governor Charlie Baker supported Hodgson in his 2022 reelection campaign.^[8][9] Hodgson conceded the election to his opponent, Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux.^[10]

Immigration

In 2017, Hodgson offered to send detainees from Bristol County as forced laborers to build President Donald J. Trump's proposed border wall.^[11][12] When he was later invited to speak to a U.S. House of Representatives committee about sanctuary cities, he recommended that elected officials in such jurisdictions should be arrested.^[13]

On August 7, 2019, Hodgson sent an email to Trump adviser, Stephen Miller, reporting that his church, St. Julie's Billiart Parish in Dartmouth, MA, was providing information to immigrants regarding their legal rights:^[14]

"Stephen, thought you might like to see samples of cards I discovered in a holder at the back of St. Julie's Church in Dartmouth, MA."

"While attending mass last Sunday, I noticed a holder on a table near the entrance marked, "ICE-Immigration" and noticed the three stacks of colored cards. Trying to determine if this is an isolated situation or a common occurrence in other parish churches,"

— Thomas M. Hodgson, Email to Stephen Miller, senior advisor to President Trump. (August 7, 2017 12:41 p.m.)^[14]

The email was released as part of a large email leak released to the Southern Poverty Law Center of Stephen Miller's emails focused on Miller's far right attitudes towards race and immigration.^[15]

ICE Detention Center

On May 1, 2020, three Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees were hospitalized following a violent incident with correctional officers during testing for COVID-19.^[16] Hodgson was on site during the incident and the Bristol County Sheriff's department reported more than $25,000 of damage to the facility.^[17]

The next day, Congressman Joe Kennedy III called for an independent investigation of the violence;^[18] then Senators Warren and Markey and Representative Keating joined Kennedy in signing a joint letter calling for an investigation "by an external entity."^[19] The ACLU of Massachusetts sued the Bristol County Sheriff's Office after being denied access to records related to the incident.^[20] A Massachusetts Attorney General report concluded in December 2020 that Sheriff Hodgson violated the civil rights of the detainees by using excessive force and recommended the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) terminate its contract between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Bristol County.^[21] In May 2021, DHS agreed with the Massachusetts Attorney General and terminated the contract.^[22] Hodgson called the report politically motivated.^[23]

Following the release of the Attorney General's report, the Department of Homeland Security terminated its 287(g) contract with the Bristol County Sheriff's Office. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wrote: "Allow me to state one foundational principle: we will not tolerate the mistreatment of individuals in civil immigration detention or substandard conditions of detention."^[24]

Suicides in Bristol County Jails

A report from 2017 found that between 2012 and 2016, Bristol County jails accounted for a quarter of all jail suicides in Massachusetts, despite housing only 13% of inmates in the state.^[25] In October 2022, Adam Howe, a 34-year-old man from Truro, killed himself in an Ash Street Jail cell while awaiting trial for the murder of his mother.^[26] In a WBSM radio interview, Sheriff Hodgson praised his staff for going "above and beyond" the required mental health protocols.^[27] However, it was later revealed through a leaked document that Hodgson's staff were responding to a different suicide attempt 6 minutes before Howe's suicide.^[28]

Following public scrutiny, Hodgson ordered an internal investigation into seven deaths that occurred in 2015 and 2017. It was determined that the staff had acted appropriately.^[29]

In 2018, inmates suffering from mental illness filed a class-action lawsuit against Hodgson, alleging they had "suffered severe harm as the result of their confinement in solitary confinement or 'segregation.'"^[30][29] Hodgson denied the allegations, stating that the inmates were being used by lawyers to further a political agenda of regulating solitary confinement more closely.^[31]

Support for Trump presidency

In November 2019, President Trump appointed Hodgson an honorary chair of his 2020 Massachusetts reelection campaign.^[32] Following the 2020 election, Hodgson spread unsupported claims that Trump lost reelection due to voter fraud.^[33]

Controversies

In Thomas Hodgson's official Bristol County Sheriff portrait from 2003, he is wearing a tie that resembles the Confederate flag. In 2020, community groups called for his resignation over his ties to white supremacy. Hodgson denied the tie was connected to the Confederacy and said he would continue to wear the necktie.^[34] Senator Ed Markey tweeted, "No one, especially someone in law enforcement, should be wearing confederate symbols and doubling down on them when called out about it."^[35][36]

In 2014, Hodgson's daughter was taken into custody by New Bedford police for interfering with an investigation of a shooting, claiming "Do you know that my father's the sheriff?"^[37] The case against the 29-year-old was later dropped, the prosecutor stating to the judge that he was "nol prossing" the charge.^[38]

In August 2017, Hodgson was photographed at New Bedford's Feast of the Blessed Sacrament holding a cup of Madeira wine and carrying a firearm while wearing a Bristol County Sheriff's Office shirt. Community members called for Hodgson to be fined for carrying a firearm while drinking alcohol.^[39] Hodgson claimed he did not break any laws because he was not under the influence of alcohol after drinking Madeira wine.^[40]

In February 2019, the Massachusetts State Auditor, Suzanne Bump, released a report finding that under Hodgson's leadership, the Bristol County Sheriff's Office did not transfer US$348,922 (equivalent to $415,818 in 2023) in reimbursements from Immigration and Customs Enforcement back to the state treasurer.^[41]

Hodgson is on the advisory board of the Federation for American Immigration Reform,^[11][42] a group the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as a hate group for its white supremacist and anti-immigrant stances.^[43]

See also

• Ash Street Jail

References

1. Preer, Robert (8 June 1997). "Political Notebook | Comings, goings". The Boston Globe. p. 22. Retrieved 8 November 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Hart, Jordana (27 June 1999). "Bristol Sheriff sees lessons in tough approach". The Boston Globe. pp. B1, B4. ISSN 0743-1791. OCLC 66652431. Retrieved 8 November 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Preer, Robert (27 June 2004). Bristol Sheriff candidates differ in style, outlook. ISSN 0743-1791. OCLC 66652431. Retrieved 8 November 2022 – via Newspapers.com. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
4. Doherty, John (March 25, 2001). "Legally, nothing amiss in Maryland". South Coast Today. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
5. Corey, Williams (10 January 2011) [18 June 1997]. "Sheriff Hodgson to quit City Council seat". The Standard-Times. ISSN 0745-3574. OCLC 22392728. from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2022. NEW BEDFORD -- Newly appointed Sheriff Thomas Hodgson plans to resign his City Council seat, probably next month, to concentrate on running the county's correctional system. "It's likely that I will resign in the very near future," said Mr. Hodgson, who was named by Gov. William Weld last month as the new Bristol County sheriff, replacing David Nelson, who retired.
6. Massachusetts Sheriffs' Association. n.d. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2022. Thomas M. Hodgson, a law-enforcement and corrections professional with extensive management, marketing and business experience was appointed Sheriff of Bristol County, May 21, 1997 by Gov. William F. Weld and was sworn in officially June 2, 1997 by then Lt. Gov. Argeo Paul Cellucci.
7. "Thomas M. Hodgson". Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
8. Vennochi, Joan (April 18, 2022). "Why is Governor Charlie Baker giving his blessing to the sheriff of Trumpachusetts?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
9. Reilly, Tom (April 17, 2022). "Political notebook: Wrentham's Doughty to appear with Gov. Baker at Sheriff Hodgson's campaign kickoff". The Sun Chronicle. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
10. Berke, Ben (9 November 2022). . The Public's Radio. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022. In a surprise defeat, Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson Tuesday conceded his seat to Democratic challenger Paul Heroux after a remarkable 25-year-run in office that saw the leader of a midsized county jail in Massachusetts become a national figurehead for his hardline views on immigration and the treatment of inmates.
11. Shanmugasundaram, Swathi (19 March 2019). FAIR Board Member, Immigration Hardliner Sheriffs Appear With President Trump As He Vetoes Resolution To Block National Emergency. from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022. Hodgson, during a radio interview at FAIR's September 2018 media event, said the White House should use the Department of Motor Vehicles as a tool for immigration enforcement and called for the arrest of any elected official who supports sanctuary city policies. In his January 2017 swearing-in speech, he discussed the border wall saying, "I can think of no other project that would have such a positive impact on our inmates and our country than building this wall," and offered to send Bristol County inmates to the border as labor to aid in its construction. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
12. Dwinell, Joe; Boss, Owen (17 November 2018) [2017-01-05]. "Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson offers inmates to build Donald Trump's wall". Boston Herald. ISSN 0738-5854. LCCN sn00059021. OCLC 643304073. from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2022. Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson is offering to ship his inmates off to the southern border to help President-elect Donald Trump build a massive wall. "We need to turn this country around and put law and order back in place," Hodgson told the Herald last night. He's proposing to send "eight to 10" inmates with a guard to help build a wall along the Mexican border. He said he has sent his pitch to Trump's transition team. And, he added, he's been told by other sheriffs across the country they are ready to join in.
13. Dumcius, Gintautas (7 January 2019) [2017-03-28]. "Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson says elected leaders of 'sanctuary cities' should be arrested". The Republican. eISSN 2641-2829. ISSN 1941-529X. LCCN 2019218555. OCLC 52000893. from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2022. Hodgson called for federal arrest warrants to be issued for his fellow elected officials in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on immigration and border security in Washington, D.C. "These officials pledge not to work with, cooperate or even communicate with federal immigration enforcement," Hodgson said. "As a result, these safe zones have become magnets for illegal aliens, some of which have violent criminal records. At best, sanctuary cities are a direct violation of trust between legal residents and the elected officials who took an oath to protect them at all costs. At the worst, it's careless, illegal and extremely dangerous," he said.
14. Brown, Curt (6 December 2019). Hodgson reports his own church, St. Julie's in Dartmouth, to the White House. Dartmouth. ISSN 0745-3574. OCLC 22392728. from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2022. DARTMOUTH — "Stephen, thought you might like to see samples of cards I discovered in a holder at the back of St. Julie's Church in Dartmouth, MA," Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson says in an email to Stephen Miller, the architect of the White House's immigration policy. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
15. Rose, Joel (26 November 2019). Leaked Emails Fuel Calls For Stephen Miller To Leave White House. from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022. The latest batch of emails, released by the SPLC on Monday, shows Miller pushing a supposed link between immigrants and rising crime, an idea that has been debunked. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
16. Dooling, Shannon (2 May 2020). "ICE Detainees Hospitalized, Sheriff Reports 'Extensive Damage' After Coronavirus-Based Incident in Bristol County Jail". WBUR-FM. from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2022. Three U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees being held at the Bristol County House of Correction were hospitalized after a violent incident at the facility Friday night. The Bristol County Sheriff's Office confirmed to WBUR that the incident began after ICE detainees reported symptoms of COVID-19.
17. "$25K in damage after COVID-19 disturbance at Bristol ICE facility, sheriff says". WCVB-TV. 2 May 2020. from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2022. DARTMOUTH, Mass. — A Friday disturbance at the Bristol County House of Correction ICE facility has resulted in more than $25,000 worth of damage, Sheriff Thomas Hodgson's office said. The sheriff's office said that a group of 10 detainees in one of the wings of the detention center reported having symptoms of the coronavirus, refused to be tested, then rushed violently at corrections officers and Sheriff Hodgson. The sheriff's office said the detainees then barricaded themselves inside the facility, ripping washing machines and pipes of the walls, breaking windows and trashing the unit.
18. Chan, Tiffany (2 May 2020). "Calls For An Independent Investigation Mount After Violent ICE Detention Center Incident". WBZ-TV. from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2022. Both lawyers joined Congressman Joe Kennedy Saturday, calling for an independent investigation of what sparked the violence at the ICE detention center. "The next step in this process is to ensure that there is an open and independent investigation to determine exactly what happened and ensure the rights of every single individual behind bars," Kennedy said. The ACLU of Massachusetts said in a statement Saturday that they also think an independent investigation is necessary.
19. Warren, Elizabeth; Markey, Edward J.; Keating, William; Kennedy, III, Joseph P. (3 May 2020). "Independent Investigation of the May 1st Events at the Bristol County House of Correction" (PDF). Letter to The Honorable Thomas M. Hodgson. (PDF) from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
20. Van Buskirk, Chris (19 May 2020). "ACLU Sues Bristol Sheriff For Access To Incident Recordings". WBUR-FM. State House News Service. from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2022. The ACLU of Massachusetts and the law firm Foley Hoag sued the Bristol County sheriff's office Monday in an attempt to obtain information surrounding a violent altercation between officers and detainees at the Bristol County House of Correction in early May. The civil liberties organization filed a public records request on May 7 seeking audiovisual recordings, reports, and other records linked to the May 1 incident. A statement from the group said the sheriff's office issued a "blanket denial" of the request.
21. Dooling, Shannon (15 December 2020). "AG Report: Bristol County Sheriff Violated Civil Rights Of Immigrant Detainees; Calls For Transfer Of Those In Custody". WBUR-FM. from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2022. "Our investigation revealed that the Bristol County Sheriff's Office violated the rights of detainees by using excessive force and by seriously risking their health and safety," Healey said. "This callous disregard for the well-being of immigration detainees is unacceptable and must be addressed through the significant reforms we outline in our report." As a result of the findings, Healey recommended the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) terminate its contracts with the Bristol County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) "as expeditiously as possible." In order to ensure the safety and well-being of immigrant detainees, the attorney general also asked for the immediate transfer of current federal immigration detainees to other facilities.
22. Gainey, Emalie (20 May 2020). "AG Healey's Statement in Response to Decision by U.S. Department of Homeland Security to Terminate Contracts With Bristol County Sheriff's Office" (Press release). Boston: Office of Attorney General Maura Healey. from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2022. BOSTON — Today, Massachusetts Attorney General issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) decision to terminate contracts with the Bristol County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) to house federal immigration detainees at the Bristol County Jail and House of Correction and participate in immigration enforcement. "We commend DHS for ending its partnership with the Bristol County Sheriff's Office, which has a long history of abuse and neglect of immigration detainees. Our extensive investigation and advocacy have made it clear that the Sheriff's Office is not willing to take any steps to protect the rights and safety of detainees, and that ICE must sever ties with BCSO. This decision under the Biden Administration ensures that the civil rights of immigrants are protected and not violated in a callous disregard for human life and dignity."
23. Fraga, Brian (16 December 2020). "Hodgson: AG's Report 'Baseless' and 'Politically Motivated'". WBSM 1420 AM. Dartmouth. from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022. DARTMOUTH — Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson attacked as "baseless" and "politically motivated" this week's report from Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey that accused his officers of using excessive force and violating detainees' civil rights during a May 1 melee at an immigration detention center in Dartmouth. [...] "The attorney general's report goes to incredible lengths to dismiss and discount the truth about what really happened," Hodgson said during a press conference Wednesday at the Bristol County House of Correction.
24. Dooling, Shannon (20 May 2021). "ICE Terminates Contracts With Bristol County Sheriff". WBUR-FM. from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022. In a memo to ICE Acting Director Tae Johnson, U.S Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wrote, "Allow me to state one foundational principle: we will not tolerate the mistreatment of individuals in civil immigration detention or substandard conditions of detention."
25. McKim, Jenifer; Sajadi, Shaz (6 May 2017). "'They left him everything to hang himself'". The Boston Globe. ISSN 0743-1791. OCLC 66652431. from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022. Among them were suicides that followed explicit warnings that the inmate was bent on harming himself. In Bristol County, which accounted for nearly a quarter of all jail suicides from 2006 to 2016 even though it houses just 13 percent of inmates, court officials recently warned the sheriff's office on two separate occasions that inmates were likely suicidal, records and interviews show. But both men were left alone in their cells and killed themselves within days.
26. Mujib, Rasheek Tabassum. "Unable to respond: Adam Howe's death raises questions about prisoner, mental health facilities". Cape Cod Times. ISSN 0747-1467. from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022. After his release from the hospital, he was brought to Ash Street Jail in New Bedford, part of the Bristol County Jail and House of Correction system. Howe was found dead in his cell at 5:14 p.m. Oct. 2. In between officer rounds at the jail, Howe had clogged his airways with wet toilet paper and "suffered a medical emergency," a spokesperson for the Bristol County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
27. Ferro, Marcus (6 October 2022). "Hodgson Addresses Bristol County Jail Suicide, Shrugs off Healey". WBSM 1420 AM. from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022. According to Hodgson, his staff went "above and beyond" the suicide prevention protocols that were required given the fact that Cape Cod Hospital had medically cleared Howe for police custody. The sheriff accused the hospital of misdiagnosing Howe and thus misleading his staff on the extent to which Howe needed to be monitored.
28. Berke, Ben (17 October 2022). "Second, undisclosed suicide attempt on Oct. 2 exposes strain on Bristol County jails' mental health system". The Public's Radio. from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022. The Public's Radio learned of this previously unreported suicide attempt through a leaked picture of a daily log kept by the jail's staff on Sunday, Oct. 2, which was verified by a spokesperson for the Bristol County Sheriff's Office. [...] The log reports Gonsalves' suicide attempt as a "code 99" for a "regional hanging" in cell 11 at 2:58 p.m. Six minutes later, another code 99 appears in the log for a "regional unresponsive" in cell 3, with Adam Howe's name listed.
29. McKim, Jenifer; Burrell, Chris (9 March 2018). Lawsuits add up over Bristol County jail inmate suicides. ISSN 0743-1791. OCLC 66652431. from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2022. Following public scrutiny about suicides in his New Bedford and Dartmouth jails last year, Hodgson ordered an internal investigation into seven deaths that occurred in 2015 and 2017, determining that staff had acted appropriately. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
30. Rhodes, George W. (17 January 2018). Mentally ill inmates sue Bristol County sheriff. ISSN 1053-7805. OCLC 16645175. from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2022. Mentally ill prisoners have filed a class action lawsuit against Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson and other officials at the Bristol County House of Corrections in Dartmouth, alleging they've "suffered severe harm as the result of their confinement in solitary confinement or 'segregation.'" {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
31. Cramer, Maria (9 January 2018). Mentally ill inmates sue Bristol sheriff over solitary confinement. ISSN 0743-1791. OCLC 66652431. from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2022. Hodgson sharply denied the allegations in the complaint and said the lawyers had been manipulated by the inmates. [...] "This lawsuit is riddled with inaccuracies, misconceptions, and out-and-out lies," he said. "Surprise, surprise, we might have people in our facilities who are not telling the truth." [...] Hodgson accused Prisoners' Legal Services of using the inmates to further their "political agenda" of regulating solitary confinement more closely. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
32. Murphy, Matt (21 November 2019). "Trump Campaign taps Mass. Sheriff Tom Hodgson as honorary chair". The Providence Journal. State House News Service. ISSN 2574-3406. OCLC 920412096. from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022. Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, who has been one of President Donald Trump's most high-profile supporters in Massachusetts, particularly on immigration, was announced Thursday by the Trump campaign as the honorary chairman of the president's Massachusetts re-election effort.
33. Solis, Steph (6 January 2021). . The Republican. eISSN 2641-2829. ISSN 1941-529X. OCLC 52000893. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022. As riots and violence unfolded at the U.S. Capitol building, Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said he was sad to see violent behavior from supporters of President Donald Trump challenging the election results — and reiterated claims that the race might have been tainted by fraud.
34. Dooling, Shannon (11 June 2020). "Historians: Tie Worn In Sheriff Hodgson's 2003 Portrait Resembles A 'Subtle' Nod To The Confederacy". WBUR-FM. from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022. According to several historians and civil rights advocates, this style of necktie conjures images of the Confederate battle flag. Similar ties can easily be found online, sometimes referred to as a "New Anglo Confederate Flag Men's Necktie." [...] A similar style of tie is also found advertised online as a "Red Designer Tie With Diagonal Confederate Battle Stars."
35. Ed Markey [@SenMarkey] (12 June 2020). "No one, especially someone in law enforcement, should be wearing confederate symbols and doubling down on them when called out about it" (Tweet). from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2022 – via Twitter.
36. O'Neill, Kelly (15 June 2020). . WJAR. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022. In a tweet, Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey said, "No one, especially someone in law enforcement, should be wearing Confederate symbols and doubling down on them when called out about it."
37. Crimaldi, Laura; Ellement, John R. (5 August 2014). "Sheriff's daughter allegedly interfered with shooting probe". Metro. The Boston Globe. New Bedford. ISSN 0743-1791. OCLC 66652431. from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2022. NEW BEDFORD — As officers here tried to disperse a crowd early Saturday so rescuers could reach the victims from a shooting that injured seven people, police allege, Michelle L. Hodgson interfered and later yelled, "Do you know that my father's the sheriff?" [...] Hodgson, the 29-year-old daughter of Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson, was taken into custody at 1:30 a.m. outside Jalice Cafe, where officers were investigating the shooting that wounded three women and four men, according to a police report written by Officer Ronald C. Guerin and filed in New Bedford District Court.
38. Brown, Curt (18 September 2014). Special prosecutor drops charge against Sheriff Hodgson's daughter. ISSN 0745-3574. OCLC 22392728. from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022. William Connolly of Boston, the special prosecutor assigned to the case, told Judge Bernadette L. Sabra in New Bedford District Court that he was "nol prossing" or dropping the charge against the 29-year-old New Bedford woman. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
39. Cormier, Taylor (9 August 2017). "Sheriff Hodgson Says 'No' Laws Broken as Feast Photo Goes Viral". WBSM 1420 AM. from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022. NEW BEDFORD - A photograph showing Sheriff Thomas Hodgson at the 103rd Feast of the Blessed Sacrament in New Bedford on Sunday has gone viral. [...] The photograph shows Hodgson in a Bristol County Sheriff's Office polo shirt, holding a 7oz cup of Madeira wine, and openly carrying a firearm. [...] WBSM talk show host Barry Richard reached Sheriff Hodgson via text Tuesday evening. Richard asked the sheriff if he violated any law or regulation. [...] "No, but it was simply a celebratory drink following the parade and we left after about 15 minutes," replied Hodgson.
40. Hodgson, Thomas M. (9 August 2017). "Sheriff Thomas Hodgson speaks with Barry Richard". WBSM 1420 AM (Interview). Interviewed by Barry Richard. from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022 – via YouTube.
41. Bonner, Michael (13 February 2019). "Audit finds Bristol County Sheriff's Office mismanaged transfer for nearly $350,000". The Herald News. New Beford. ISSN 1074-052X. from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022. NEW BEDFORD — An audit by Massachusetts Auditor Suzanne Bump found that the Bristol County Sheriff's Office did not properly transfer $348,922 in reimbursements from Immigration and Customs Enforcement back to the state treasurer, the state announced Wednesday. [...] The audit also pointed out three other findings including, the Sheriff's Office didn't ensure the state received appropriate compensation for the services it provided ICE, it didn't submit required inmate total cost analysis reports and it didn't have sufficient documentation for some credit card expenditures.
42. "Board of Directors | National Board of Advisors". Federation for American Immigration Reform. 27 March 2012. from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
43. "Extremist Files | Federation for American Immigration Reform". Southern Poverty Law Center. from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is a group with one mission: to severely limit immigration into the United States. Although FAIR maintains a veneer of legitimacy that has allowed its principals to testify in Congress and lobby the federal government, this veneer hides much ugliness.