Hodgson began working as a deputy for the UCSO on Feb. 20, 1987. Since then, he has seen many changes within law enforcement and society.

“Things seemed a little simpler back then,” Hodgson said. “Interactions with the public were easier. Even towards the end of my career, I realized there are a lot of good people in the world, and I have encountered many of them. There are some people who don’t care for law enforcement, and they will let you know right away. You just have to be civil and respectable to them.”

Technology has come a long way during Hodgson’s career, and he believes it’s been a huge help to law enforcement. In the beginning of his career, every report was hand-written.

“The one thing they didn’t teach us at the police academy was how to hand-write reports. It could be tolling at times, to sit and recall what you did. We had to write names and add records. It is much simpler with new technology,” he said.

Courtesy Utah County Sheriff's Office

Hodgson loved working for the UCSO. He said despite receiving plenty of employment offers from other agencies over the years he never considered them.

“It was the men and women I worked with, and I felt rewarded working here,” he said. “My office was the lakes, mountains and desert, which matches my personal lifestyle. It’s just a no-brainer for me. I could be patrolling the mountains at 10,000 feet one day and then the west desert the next day. I just really liked the opportunities and geographical setting I was in. It made for a fantastic office.”

While earning plenty of awards in his career, Hodgson never considered them too important. His biggest personal achievement was establishing the Utah County Shop with a Cop program in 1990.

Every year, law enforcement agencies within the county work together to take thousands of children to breakfast and shopping for Christmas gifts. The children selected are usually at-risk, disadvantaged or have had a negative experience with law enforcement, according to Utah Police Civilian Association website.

“I worked with an individual, who was my supervisor for my part-time job at Kmart, Blair Kirby, we got talking and it was around Christmas time,” Hodgson said. “We saw something on TV about police officers who were helping kids at Christmastime. I thought it was a great idea, and we sat and talked about it for a few days. We found people in the community who were willing to help us, and that’s how Shop with a Cop was born. It was just two guys with an idea, and we just celebrated our 31st anniversary in the county.”

Mark Johnston, Daily Herald file photo

Hodgson has spent the decades since being thanked by individuals of all ages for the positive experience’s he helped provide. He’s even kept in contact with several children from the program over the years who are now adults.

“A few months ago, one of the children I took, who is now a grown adult, he introduced me to his family,” he said. “It makes memories and people won’t forget that. It’s a great program to be involved in.”

He plans to stay involved with Shop with a Cop, even in retirement.

One person in particular who has made the world to Hodgson is Matt Grant, a worker in the jail kitchens at UCSO headquarters. Grant has special needs and has been a part-time employee in the jail kitchen for nearly 25 years, according to a UCSO press release. Grant is taking Hodgson’s retirement pretty hard.

“Matt is a special person in my life and in many people’s lives,” Hodgson said. “He’s my favorite, and I’m going to miss seeing him at lunch every day. In fact, I went to the office yesterday to have lunch with Matt. It did us both good. My wife works at the sheriff’s office as well, so she told Matt I was coming in for lunch, and he was waiting by the door by the time I got there.”

Utah County Sheriff's Office

Since announcing Hodgson’s retirement, people have been coming up to him to say what a difference he made in their lives.

“Even people I stopped and gave citations to have told me ‘you made a difference that day even though you gave me a ticket,'” Hodgson said. “It’s the way you did it that made me respect you. when I hear stories like that, it makes it all worthwhile.”

When asked when he knew it was time to retire, Hodgson chuckled to himself.

“You know, I laugh because I’m not sure I’ve made the right decision,” he said. “For me, I have some personal things I want to attend to with my family. My father is turning 90 years old next week and I want to spend some quality time with my dad. I’ve got some other things I want to accomplish, but for me now, it’s about time with my family.”