Thomas P. Gordon

Thomas Gordon
County Executive of New Castle County
Assumed office
November 13, 2012
Preceded by Paul Clark
In office
January 8, 1997 – January 4, 2005
Preceded by Dennis Greenhouse
Succeeded by Chris Coons
Personal details
Born (1952-09-10) September 10, 1952
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Susan Gordon
Children Michael
Jennifer
Daniel
Alma mater Wilmington University
Religion Roman Catholicism

Thomas P. Gordon is an American politician, law enforcement expert and current County Executive of New Castle County, Delaware. Prior to serving two terms as New Castle County Executive, Gordon was the Chief of Police for New Castle County.

Gordon was sworn in on November 13, 2012, making him the first ever three-term County Executive in New Castle County history.

Background

Born and raised in Wilmington, DE, Gordon attended Salesianum School, a private Catholic men's high school operated by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. He received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Wilmington University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy as well as the United States Secret Service Protection Program.[1]

Federal Corruption Indictment

Gordon was the subject of a 2003 Federal Corruption indictment,[2] which ended in guilty plea deals for he and members of his former administration, most notably Sherry Freebery, who was Gordon's second-in-command from 1997-2004.

A 47-page racketeering and fraud indictment in 2004 resulted from a two-year federal investigation that accused Freebery of accepting $2.3 million from county landowner Lisa Dean Moseley, a du Pont heiress, in exchange for county approvals for a clubhouse for the Fieldstone Golf Club.[3] Freebery plead guilty to one felony count of making a false statement to a federally insured bank for purpose of securing a loan.[4] Gordon plead guilty to two misdemeanors for not keeping adequate tax records for two employees, who worked on political campaigns on government time.[5]

Fraternal Order of Police & Delaware's Police Officer Bill of Rights

Gordon served as the President of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) in Delaware from 1984-1986.[6] Gordon is credited with the passage of the Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights,[7] which was signed into law on May 13, 1985.

New Castle County Chief of Police

Gordon began his career in the public sector upon joining the New Castle County Police Department in 1975. As a police officer he was assigned to the Patrol Division Criminal Unit, as well as the Attorney General's White Collar Crime Unit. Gordon was promoted to Sergeant in 1980, Lieutenant in 1984, and Captain in 1988. Gordon was Co-commander of Delaware's first serial killer task force which led to the apprehension and prosecution of Steven Brian Pennell, the state's first and only known serial killer.[8]

The U.S. Crime Bill

Gordon worked closely with then Senator Joseph Biden in the creation and writing of the landmark U.S. Crime Bill [9] which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act was the largest of its kind in US history and widely regarded as the most successful. Since implementation, violent and property crime in the United States has declined 43% and 37% respectively.[10]

Notes

  1. ↑ Turner Publishing Company (10 July 2000). FBI National Academy. Turner Publishing Company. pp. 153–. ISBN 978-1-56311-487-8. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  2. ↑ http://www.leagle.com/decision/2005736380FSupp2d356_1698/U.S.%20v.%20GORDON
  3. ↑ http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2015/11/06/tom-gordon-again-faces-trouble-closest-ally/75311390/
  4. ↑ http://www.wdel.com/story/6658-freebery-pleads-guilty-to-fraud-charge
  5. ↑ http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2015/11/06/tom-gordon-again-faces-trouble-closest-ally/75311390/
  6. ↑ http://defop.org/history-of-the-delaware-fraternal-order-of-police/
  7. ↑ http://defop.org/history-of-the-delaware-fraternal-order-of-police/
  8. ↑ 3 Slayings Reviewed For Pennell Link – Philly.com. Articles.philly.com (1989-11-30). Retrieved on 2012-08-24.
  9. ↑ Tom Gordon Senate Crime Bill. tomgordon2012.com (June 2012)
  10. ↑ FBI — Uniform Crime Reports. Fbi.gov (2010-03-17).

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, May 01, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.