MSA Legal Counsel

Richard Hodsdon

Rick currently works full time in the Washington County Attorney’s Office in Stillwater, Minnesota where he is assigned to the administrative division. Rick deals with numerous aspects of the office involving data practices, HIPAA, the sheriff’s office, personnel matters and criminal prosecution and civil litigation. Rick has also been the Minnesota Sheriffs' Association legal counsel since 1987.  Rick is on the faculty of Northwestern University Police Command School and teaches throughout the United States on matters of employment law and criminal justice issues.

He has a J.D. and master’s degree in public administration and is admitted to practice before the courts of Minnesota, 8th Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court.

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Expungement

Data Practices and Gun Laws

Background Investigations

Other Courses

Basic Data Practices​

September 4, 2019

Watonwan County

CLICK HERE for the Watonwan Co.training announcement.

CLICK HERE  for online registration​.

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Advanced Data Practices​

September 5, 2019

Watonwan County

CLICK HERE for the Watonwan Co. training announcement.

CLICK HERE  for online registration​.

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Advanced Data Practices​

September 18, 2019

MSA Offices, St. Paul, MN

CLICK HERE for the St. Paul training announcement.

CLICK HERE  for online registration​.

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Advanced Gun Laws

September 25, 2019

​MSA, St. Paul, MN

CLICK HERE for the St. Paul training announcement.

CLICK HERE  for online registration​.

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Advanced Data Practices​

October 10, 2019

Carlton County

CLICK HERE for the Carlton Co. training announcement.

CLICK HERE  for online registration​.

Background Investigations for Public Sector Employers​

August 12 & 13, 2019

​Winona Co.

CLICK HERE for the MSA training announcement.

CLICK HERE  for online registration​.

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Background Investigations

One of the most perilous aspects for a public sector employer is the vetting and backgrounds of potential employees.  An agency that does not properly background its prospective employees prior to employment faces serious liability under theories of negligent hiring and deliberate indifference to the risk of harm to third parties. 

 Quote from attendee:

"Thank you for your help, I learned more in this class than any other class I have taken."

Basics of Discipline

This course is designed for any person who hires, manages, evaluates, or supports law enforcement personnel.

Sealing/Expungement or Records

This four hour training covers mental health records, unlawful detainer records, juvenile delinquency records, booking identification data, adult criminal matters, and the inherent authority of the courts.   

In this training, Rick sheds light on the impact of the expungement legislation on law enforcement, County and City Attorneys, and county and municipal government.

Data Practices

Every Sheriff and Chief of Police knows handling public data in Minnesota can be a very difficult task and sometime embarrassing to the agency.  Deputies, records staff, dispatchers and supervisors all deal with public data on a daily basis.  Every phone call, radio transmission, MDC/Computer Screen, piece of paper, and even when you talk about work in your agency is a data practices event.

Gun Laws

Advanced Data Practices and Gun Laws

These courses use your real life cases or ones you have dealt with as an exercise to help you develop processes and systems to analyze special issues.  Each student is asked to bring with them a real life case that they either have worked on or are working on to be used as a case study and learning device to be discussed in the class.

Interested in additional Rick Hodsdon trainings?

CLICK HERE 

for the listing of available Rick Hodsdon courses.