The Bristol BeatJanuary 31, 2019 — Published by the Bernie Sullivan Office of Public Affairs — Contact us at JonathanDarling@bcso-ma.org

THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE BRISTOL COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

FROM THE SHERIFFPay parity for corrections officers is long overdue

Equal pay for equal work. It’s common sense, and it’s long overdue for the security staff here in Bristol County. It’s something I’ve been fighting for over the course of seven years.

Not only does our staff face the same dangers and con-cerns as our colleagues who work for the Mass. DOC, but our officers must deal with ad-ditional problems that emerge when transitioning people into a jail setting.

Upton intake, county correc-tions staff must deal with the behavioral issues related to detoxification, mental and physical health screening, and the risks associated with proper classification.

The pay gap between correc-tion officers in Bristol County and the DOC ranges from 15 percent less for starting offi-cers to as much as 52 percent less for top-step lieutenants.

That’s why I am thrilled to work with MCOFU and state lawmakers on legislation that will bring full parity to not only our staff, but every coun-ty correction officer in Mas-sachusetts. Although three different bills were filed to accomplish this, they all get to the same goal: equal pay for equal work.

The deadline for state repre-sentatives and senators to be-come cosponsors is Feb. 1. Our lawmakers will then begin the legislative process of commit-tee assignments, testimony, discussion, debate and hope-fully a vote to pass it and have it be signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker.

And it’s Bristol County correc-tion officers who are leading the charge by rallying officers in other counties and contact-ing legislators for support lo-cally and throughout the state. I thank them and can’t wait for the day when I can congratu-late them for helping achieve this long-overdue measure.

There is nothing I would like to see more than a large pho-tograph in this newspaper, and all over the media, of our officers not only celebrating the pay raises they absolute-ly deserve, but also the real-ization that the citizens and lawmakers of Massachusetts recognize the dangers, risks and responsibilities associat-ed with their law enforcement careers.

— Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson

10 YEARSJoseph AguiarDarryl AlmeidaPaul AlvesAustin AmbraLeonard ArrudaTina BaccaireSamuel BeauchampDavid BotelhoEdgardo BotelhoJoseph BotelhoKevin BotelhoKimberly BotelhoSuzanna BotelhoJoshua BrandenburgNelson CabralMarcel CaneryNaomi CarneyAndrew CarrelasKimberly CarterRyan CarvalhoRonald CavanaughSheila ChumackCarolyn CookLouie CorchadoJoshua CostaNelson CurralFilipe DasilvaJoe Dasilva

Caitlin DemeloDerek DeMendoncaNicholas DowneyJoshua DubeEdward DuganChristopher DzialoMichael EncarnacaoFrank FernandesBarry FerreiraJames FlanneryChristine FortinTheresa FournierJeffrey FurbishJoshua GauthierMichael GoncalvesShawn GrahamSharon GreesonSean GuilbeaultStephen HallStephanie HelmeArchie IrbyDeborah LawrenceBrian LimaAaron MacedoRuben MacedoRonnie ManzoneAnabela MartinsNathan MedeirosDavid MocoMichael Moreira

Justine MorelCraig MorinFaith MorinBrandon MotaDavid NadeauRobert NovackJared OldhamNicolas OrtizAntonio PereiraBrian PereiraGlen PinchbeckFrancesca PodestaTina PothierCynthia ProctorMichelle RacineGeorge Randall, Jr.Samuel RapozaJohnny ResendesNelson ResendesShawn RobarKevin RodriguesSylvester SantosBeth SchoonoverWilliam Sellers, Jr.Stephen SheaffMatthew SilvaSteven H. SilvaRyan SouzaJames Stewart, Jr.Stanley Strychasz

Sean StubbertGlenn Taber, Jr.Matthew ThibaultJeffrey TorresChristos TsonisJose VarelaKelly VieiraRandall WebbStanley Zmuda

15 YEARSAndrew AlaimoAvelino AlvesErnesto AndradeMichele AndrewsChristopher BergeronBrennan BulgarWilliam CamaraJeremy CarltonCarminda CarpenterMalinda CarvalhoBarbara ChadwickKevin CoelhoJeremy CorriveauEric CousensRobert DasilvaJulio DeFigueiredo, Jr.Lillian DeFriasRonald DeschenesIsac Dos Santos

Paul DouglasMatthew EugenioAlexandra FerreiraJoseph FrankLisa GadboisMarie GarciaChristopher HortaMoses IsidoroTheresa JenkinsJohn LedoDennis LeonardRui LimaKristy MartinRoland Martineau, Jr. Thomas MayersRachel McCarthySonya MerkmanStacey MerkmanCharles MonizJoseph Oliver IIIRichard RamosStephen ReasonerDerek ReisDonna RobertsonMatthew RobitailleMyra RochaLorraine RousseauMargaret RyanConstance SampsonRobert Shubert

Martha SilveiraClinton SilverioPaul SouzaMarco TavaresKaren TaylorFloyd TeagueWayne TorresJanet Vazquez-PavaoJennifer Desmarais VieiraMarc Viveiros

20 YEARSGeorge AlmeidaPaul AlmeidaMichael BatesEric BlanchetteWendy BoniaBelinda BulgarShawn CostaAna DeAbreu-SousaAlexandre EstevesMichael EstrellaJoseph MedeirosVictoria MoralesJulie OliveiraMichael PayantJeffrey PipesDana TaylorDavid WattJeffrey Williams

25 YEARSMark AmaralAna ArrudaMatthew ArrudaSteven AssadPeter BerthiaumeRobert BettencourtGregory CenteioPaul DeForge, Jr.Nelson DeGouveiaMark DeSilvaBruce Duarte, Jr.Marc DupreyGerard FarringtonFernando Ferreira Mark FerreiraJoseph FrancoRobert HortaRaymond JesusRobert JohnsonAlfred Lafleur, IIIJames LancasterJohn LimaJoanne MacedoJohn MacedoRaymond MartinsRobert MatosWilliam Mello, Jr.Andrew Mitzan

Yvonne MurphyMatthew NormandeauMichael NunesStacey PerryRobert Perry, Jr.Fernando PimentelMichael PiresWilliam Platt IIISteven PontesScott RoseRyan SauveJohn SilvaStephen SilvaEdward SoaresBrent SouzaKenneth Souza, IIBrian TateJulio TavaresMichael VieiraJames Welch

30 YEARSMichael FoleyScott FournierLori LowreyGregory MendesAntonio OliveiraSteven SouzaRobert Sylvia, Jr.

CONGRATULATIONS TO BCSO EMPLOYEES RECEIVING PINS FOR YEARS OF SERVICE

HIGH HONORS2019 DEPUTY SWEARING IN - EMPLOYEE SERVICE RECOGNITION - SPECIAL AWARDS CEREMONY

Special awards presented to employees who go above and beyond the call of duty

MERITORIOUS DUTY: SGT. MARIE GARCIAOn Oct. 8, 2018, Sgt. Garcia saw two inmates fighting in the housing unit

she was stationed in. After backup arrived, one of the inmates began walking quickly toward the bathroom with a weapon in his hand. Sgt. Garcia, after calling out for the inmate to halt to no avail, quickly and without regard for her own safety followed the inmate into the bathroom, where she was alone in a confined space with an armed inmate. In the seconds that followed, the in-mate flushed the object down the toilet before being secured by other officers. Sgt. Garcia then secured the bathroom crime scene and contacted investiga-tors and maintenance personnel who retrieved the object, which was used as evidence in the investigation.

EXCEPTIONAL MERIT: CORRECTIONS OFFICERS KYLE REED AND ZACHARY EGAN

On Dec. 3, 2018, Officers Reed and Egan were chatting on Faunce Corner Road, not far from the House of Corrections, after getting off second shift. It was the middle of the night, and they heard a scream coming from a nearby car. Officers Reed and Egan ran toward the noise and found a woman who had been robbed and assaulted by two men. As the officers ran toward the woman, the two men took off, striking Officer Reed, who was hospitalized with an ankle injury. The officers, who likely saved the woman from more abuse, were able to provide key information to Dartmouth Police, who tracked down and arrested both men and charged them in the assault.

EXCEPTIONAL MERIT: CAPT. MICHAEL NUNES, DISPATCHER THOMAS FARIA AND CORRECTIONS OFFICERS ERIC COUSENS AND NICHOLAS SMOLA

On Sept. 27, 2018, Capt. Nunes, Dispatch-er Faria and Officers Cousens and Smola were playing golf with several members of other law enforcement organizations when another golf-er collapsed in the fairway after hitting a shot. The back of the course is far from the street and inaccessible to emergency vehicles, so the Bristol County team members assisted others in taking turns doing chest compressions while CPR was administered for almost 20 minutes until EMS arrived with an AED that was used to bring the victim back to consciousness.

UNIT CITATION: STRESS UNITCreated as a conduit to help employees who

feel like they need help, the Bristol County Stress Unit consists of a group of security and civilian team members who are focused on helping their colleagues deal with the stresses that come with working in and around corrections. Any BCSO team member can confidentially contact any member of the Stress Unit at any time, 24/7, for assistance with a problem. These volunteers are specially trained to not only be good listeners, but also to be able to identify problems and refer people who need it to the appropriate community resource, whether it is a rehabilitation center or another service provider. The volunteers specialize in substance abuse and mental health issues but can also act on any other problem that may arise.

SHERIFF’S AWARD: HONOR GUARDNobody represents the Bristol County Sheriff’s

Office, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States of America better than the BCSO Honor Guard. Hot or cold, windy or sunny, snowing or raining, these volunteers give their time often to carry the colors and represent the BCSO with class and dignity at all types of events, from parades to funerals to official proces-sions and ceremonies. It takes stamina, precision, training and dedication; far more than standing and holding a flag.