Hi. My name is Ben , I live in Providence, RI and grew up in Seekonk, MA — part of Bristol County. On Jan 1, 2000 I began collecting and sharing articles about Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, a power-hungry tough-guy with fairly direct ties to white nationalism. I wrote to friends, family, and posted all over social media trying to raise awareness about how Bristol County needed to vote someone new in during the 2022 midterms.

In 2022, Democrat Paul Heroux got on the ballot. I was in no way affiliated with Paul’s campaign, but continued to share info on Hodgson as able. As votes were counted it became clear that Heroux was the night’s winner, and Hodgson conceded saying “Congratulations to Mr. Heroux, and I wish him well. We'll do everything we can to help have a smooth transition because in the end it's really about the people of this county,"

He’s out.

This page is now archival; it houses some of the basic info I’d been sharing.

Click Here for more info on elections in Bristol County, Massachusetts, 2022

Click here to learn more about Paul Heroux (D) candidate for Sheriff

Original Site Intro Copy (2020)

Welcome

A trove of emails from Stephen Miller— a senior advisor to President Trump who has been repeatedly called out by leading news and civil rights organizations for promoting white nationalist ideologies —was made available to the public. Outlets like The Boston Globe have drawn attention to exchanges between Miller and Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, in which Hodgson appeals to Miller’s ego with exclamation-point laden praise. Hodgson went so far as to report his own church to Miller for providing basic civil rights information to their guests. His extreme actions and positions undermine public trust in law enforcement. Hodgson should do the right thing and resign.

Aug 7, 2017
Hodgson wote Miller, “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 the other parish churches.”

Aug 3, 2017
Just a few days prior Hodgson was warming Miller up with, “Congratulations on your continued good work for the President and our nation. Many are singing your praises here on local radio and around water coolers.”

Sept 6, 2015
For context, consider the not-so-distant past when Miller emailed Breitbart suggesting coverage of The Camp of the Saints, a racist novel popular among white nationalists who subscribe to the “white genocide” myth. This is the audience Bristol County’s sheriff is seeking? To what end?

Bristol County needs a fair sheriff, not a FAIR sheriff.

Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson is linked up with The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), an anti-immigrant group seeking to influence US immigration policy. The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies FAIR as a hate group with several links to white supremacists, one example being FAIR’s financial ties to The Pioneer Fund. TPF was founded in 1937 by Wickliffe Draper who, after acquiring an interest in the racist Eugenics Movement, visited Nazi Germany to consult with leading eugenicists of the Third Reich.
Then you have FAIR’s own founder, John Tanton, having a lengthy record of friendly correspondence with Holocaust deniers, a former Klan lawyer & leading white nationalist thinkers. By participating in FAIR, Hodgson upholds a centuries-old system of bigotry and racism that marginalizes communities and denies Massachusetts its full potential. Be it through choice or ignorance, his involvement is suspect and dangerous. Bristol County needs a fair sheriff not a FAIR sheriff.
The hard working men and women of Bristol County law enforcement deserve better. Please contact your local police department: let them know you appreciate their work, and ask them to join you in a call for Hodgson’s immediate resignation.

News and Opinions Archive

The Hodgson / Miller Emails:

[…] Sheriff reported Dartmouth church to […], Dartmouth Week, 12/10/19
A Catholic Sheriff Dimes Out His Own Parish […], patheos, 12/9/19
What we learned from Sheriff Hodgson’s emails, The Herald News, 12/6/19
Hodgson reports his own church […], South Coast Today, 12/6/19
Read the e-mails between […] Hodgson and Stephen Miller, Boston Globe, 12/5/19
[…] Hodgson […] Snitching on His Own Church, Boston Magazine, 12/5/19
Sheriff’s e-mails show level of White House loyalty, Boston Globe, 12/4/19
Stephen Miller’s Affinity for White Nationalism […], SPLC, 11/12/19

Detention and Incarceration:

The callous disregard of Sheriff Hodgson, The Sun Chronicle, 12/24/20
ACLU sues [Hodgson] after ‘violent incident’…, Mass Live, 5/19/20
Show us the tape, Sheriff Hodgson, Boston Globe, 5/7/20
Businesses urge passage of Safe Communities Act, Commonwealth, 2/4/20
[…] prisoners get inadequate substance abuse treatment, BU News Service, 1/18/20
ICE protesters […] oppose Bristol County sheriff, The Sun Chronicle, 1/9/20
Bristol County jails fail to document proper air temperatures, Enterprise News, 7/28/18
AG wants investigation of Bristol sheriff, NECIR, 6/28/18
Mentally Ill Inmates Sue […] Hodgson Over Solitary Confinement, NECN, 01/10/18
Why Is The Suicide Rate In Bristol County Jails So High?, WGBH, 5/8/17
[…] sheriff wants to replace in-person visits with video […], Boston Globe, 7/25/17
Massachusetts Jail Suicides by County, NECIR, 5/5/17

Fiscal / Data Mismanagement:

Conduct a forensic audit of the BCSO, BCCJ, 12/13/19
[…] Sheriff’s Office mismanaged […] nearly $350,000, SouthCoast Today, 2/13/19
Lawsuit claims […] Hodgson receiving kickbacks […], Taunton Gazette, 5/7/18
Lawsuit challenges the high cost of calling from jail, Boston Globe, 5/3/18

ICE, Immigration, and the Border Wall:

Warren native fighting charges from 2018 anti-ICE protest, ProJo, 12/24/19
[…] Sheriff Hodgson gave OD data 7x higher than hospital’s, ProJo, 3/20/19
Protesters Gather at […] Hodgson’s Home to Decry Arrests for ICE, NBC News, 11/22/18
Lawsuit Filed Accusing Sheriff of Unlawfully Detaining Immigrant, NBC Boston, 6/19/18
Bristol County’s sheriff has no place in the US-Mexico border debate, Boston Globe, 1/5/17
Bristol Sheriff offers inmates to build Trump’s Mexico wall, Boston Globe, 1/4/17
[…] sheriff is offering his inmates to Trump to build border wall, Washington Times, 1/4/17

Misc, Profiles, Local Opinion:

Letter: Sheriff Hodgson’s...sets a bad example, South Coast Today, 12/25/20
Donald Trump & Sheriff Hodgson both absent…, Dartmouth Week Today, 11/24/20
Sheriff Hodgson: Take Down That Confederate Flag!, Action Network, Summer 2020
Protesters Allege Sheriff Hodgson Has White Supremacist Sympathies, CAI, 6/19/20
Dozens of Protesters Demand [Hodgson’s] Resignation, New Bedford Guide, 6/18/20
Black Lives Matter protesters take aim…Thomas Hodgson, SouthCoast Today, 6/18/20
Tie Worn In [Hodgson's] Portrait…A 'Subtle' Nod To The Confederacy, WBUR, 6/11/20
Letter: Time for sheriff who misrepresents his job to go, South Coast Today, 2/27/20
LETTER: Reporting materials … was a sheriff’s duty, Hodgson says, South Coast News, 2/19/20
… Faith Leaders Deeply Troubled by Sheriff Hodgson’s Actions, Southcoast Today, 2/8/20
Letter: Hodgson’s correspondence with White House was outrageous, Herald News, 2/3/20
Activist group to march, call for Sheriff Hodgson resignation, SouthCoast Today, 1/17/20
Protesters to March to Ash St. Jail Demanding Sheriff's Resignation, WBSM, 1/12/20
[…] Latin Kings-linked rap videos cited in federal indictments, Boston Herald, 1/7/20
Our View: Our sheriff is failing the voters, The Sun Chronicle, 12/10/19
Hodgson needs to stop wooing Trump and get to work, The Herald News, 11/28/19
Major failings in Sheriff Hodgson’s agreement with ICE, Dartmouth Week, 6/4/19
[…] prisons suffering from mental illness, substance abuse, Wicked Local, 5/28/19
[…] Hodgson’s numbers seem too good to be true, […], SouthCoast Today, 4/23/19
[...] Hodgson ignores the way most crime and drugs come to Bristol County, SouthCoast Today, 2/16/19
Bristol County sheriff’s ways cry out for oversight, Boston Globe, 11/14/18
The sheriff from Trumpachusetts, Boston Globe, 9/22/17
Sheriff Hodgson Responds to Viral Feast Photo, WBSM, 8/9/17
Bristol County deserves a better sheriff than Hodgson, Boston Globe, 6/25/17
For Bristol County sheriff, a badge of dishonor, Boston Globe, 1/7/17
Editorial: Costly power trip for Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, Taunton Gazette, 12/10/08

The maverick, Commonwealth Magazine, Winer 2009

Podcasts, Video, Etc.

Protesters Demand Sheriff Tom Hodgson Resign, WBSM, 1/19/20
American Sheriff | Fault Lines, Al Jazeera English, video, 5/9/18
The Chris Resendes Show: Hodgson on MS-13, New Bedford Guide, video, 4/20/18
The News with Gene Valicenti re: solitary confinement, WPRO, podcast (Spotify), 1/10/18
[…] Trump's Proactive Approach to Immigration Reform, FAIR, podcast, 7/2017
[…] Hodgson […] wants inmates to build Trump's Wall …, The Tara Granahan Show, WPRO, podcast, 6/23/17
Inside the Bristol County Jail, NBC 10, video, 6/28/13
Various Appearances, The Kuhner Report, WKRO, podcast

Local Law Enforcement Contacts

Bristol County Sheriff’s Office Contacts
bcso-ma.org
400 Faunce Corner Road North
Dartmouth, MA 02747
Thomas M. Hodgson, Sheriff of Bristol County
Phone: 508-995-1311
info@bcso-ma.org

Jonathan Darling, Public Information Officer
508-995-6400 ext. 2641
jonathandarling@bcso-ma.org

Acushnet Police
64 Middle Rd, Acushnet, MA 02743
508-998-0240
Website, Facebook, @acushnetpolice

Attleboro Police
12 Union St. Attleboro, MA 02703-2911
508-222-1212
Website, Facebook, @attleboropolice

Berkley Police
3 N Main St, Berkley, MA 02779
508-822-7040
Website, Facebook
@berkleyclerk (town)

Dartmouth Police
1390 Tucker Road, Dartmouth, MA 02747
508-910-1700
Website, Facebook, @dartmouthpd
@dartmouthma (town)

Dighton Police
1458 Somerset Avenue, Dighton, MA 02715
508-669-6431
Website, Facebook, @dightonpd97
@townofdighton (town)

Easton Police
46 Lothrop St. North Easton, MA 02356
508-230-3322
Website, Facebook, @eastonmapd46
@townofeaston (town)

Fairhaven Police
1 Bryant Lane Fairhaven, MA 02719
508-997-7421
Website, Facebook, @fairhavenpolice1
@townoffairhaven (town)

Fall River Police
685 Pleasant St. Fall River, MA 02721
508-676-8511
Website, Facebook, @fallriverpd685
@fallriver_ma (town)

Freetown Police
225 Chace Road East Freetown, MA 02717
508-763-4017
Website, Facebook, @freetownpd225
@freetownma (town)

Mansfield Police
500 East St, Mansfield, MA 02048
508-261-7300
Website, Facebook, @mansfieldmapd500
@mansfield_ma (town)

New Bedford Police
871 Rockdale Ave, New Bedford, MA 02740
508-991-6300
Website, Facebook, @newbedfordpd871
@newbedford_ma (town)