Gauvin's police certification remains in effect during state review, but Fall River's interim chief keeps him off duty
Gauvin has drawn his base pay of about $164,600 a year since the Civil Service Commission ordered him reinstated Aug. 6. The mayor's office says he is waiting on the state's recertification decision; POST says his certification stays in effect meanwhile.
FALL RIVER The state commission that certifies Massachusetts police officers says former Fall River Police Chief Paul Gauvin's certification remains in effect while it reviews his case, but the department's interim chief says he will keep Gauvin, now a captain, off active duty until that review ends, the Fall River Reporter reported Thursday, Oct. 29.
Gauvin has drawn his base pay, about $164,600 a year, since the state Civil Service Commission ordered him reinstated on Aug. 6, according to the Reporter. Mayor Paul Coogan's administration has said Gauvin is not back at work because he is waiting on a recertification decision from the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, known as POST.
What the state says
Alia Spring, POST's director of communications and community engagement, told the Reporter in an email that Gauvin's status is listed as "Further Certification Review" with an underlying status of "Certified." She wrote that the Fall River Police Department filed a recertification application for him after the Civil Service ruling, and that the commission decided it needs more time to rule on it.
Filing that application lets Gauvin's earlier certification continue until a final decision is made, Spring wrote. His certification had expired on July 1, 2025, while he was out of the department after his firing, the Reporter reported. Spring's statement did not give a date for a decision.
Why the chief is keeping him off duty
Interim Police Chief J.T. Hoar told the Reporter in an email that keeping Gauvin off active duty until POST decides was his call. "When an officer's certification is under inquiry by the POST Division of Standards, the employing agency decides that officer's duty status while under inquiry," Hoar wrote.
Hoar wrote that the department's command structure and assignments were set up to keep operations and supervision running while Gauvin was gone, and that bringing back a captain means changes across the command staff and the units they oversee. "I understand there are concerns about an officer being paid while on leave," he wrote. "The responsible course is to let the review conclude so we can act once, with clear direction, rather than reorganize now and possibly again later."
Hoar also wrote that he met with Gauvin in person to talk about his return, that Gauvin has been fully cooperative, and that the department completed the attestation required for his certification renewal and is coordinating his outstanding in-service training. Hoar had said in August that he planned to keep Gauvin on paid administrative leave during the review, according to the Reporter.
Coogan declined to comment on Gauvin's POST status, calling it a "police matter," the Reporter reported.
What Gauvin says
Gauvin told the Reporter on Wednesday that he has finished his past and current in-service training and is scheduled to complete firearms range training next week, and he said he is ready to go back. "I've fought for the right to return to my career, and I'm more than happy to return. I'll be there whatever day they say," he said. "I just want to move on and get this behind me."
How it got here
Gauvin stepped down as chief in October 2024 under an agreement with the mayor, after both of the city's police unions voted no confidence in him, and was due to return as a captain. The city instead ended his contract as chief on March 31, 2025, and fired him from his civil service job as captain on April 21, 2025, the Reporter reported.
After nine days of hearings, the Civil Service Commission reduced the firing to a 90-day suspension and ordered him reinstated as of April 21, 2025, "without further loss of compensation or benefits," according to the Reporter. The city is still calculating the back pay he is owed for that period, less the suspension.
SC360 reported Tuesday, Oct. 27, that the city spent about $143,000 investigating Gauvin and defending the firing, according to invoices the Reporter obtained. That story, citing the Reporter, said Gauvin could not return to duty until POST ruled; POST's statement says his certification continues while it reviews the application. Read the Oct. 27 story on the cost of the firing fight.
What happens next
Gauvin stays off duty with pay until POST rules on his recertification, under Hoar's plan. SC360 is asking POST, the police department, the mayor's office and Gauvin's attorney, Andrew Gambaccini, for comment and for the timeline of the review. Their answers will be added to this story.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every new fact in this story comes from the Fall River Reporter's Oct. 29 report, which quotes emails from the state POST Commission's communications director, Alia Spring, and from Interim Police Chief J.T. Hoar, along with Paul Gauvin and the mayor's office, and is credited to the Reporter. We read it on Oct. 29, along with SC360's Oct. 27 story on the cost of the firing fight. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. Requested: comment and the review timeline from POST, the Fall River Police Department, the mayor's office and Gauvin's attorney, Oct. 29; their answers will be added.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (4)
- Fall River Reporter: Reinstated ex-chief Gauvin draws $164,600 salary while city waits on state recertificationPosted Oct. 29, 2026, 8:23 a.m. Source of POST's emailed statement (Alia Spring), Interim Chief J.T. Hoar's emailed statement, the mayor's office position and comment, Gauvin's interview, the salary and the history. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
- SC360: Fall River spent about $143,000 investigating and defending the firing of ex-chief Paul Gauvin, invoices showOur Oct. 27, 2026, story on the invoices and the commission's ruling. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
- Civil Service Commission: Gauvin v. City of Fall River (decision)The commission's posted decision, issued Aug. 6, 2026. The ruling's terms in this story are credited to the Fall River Reporter.
- Fall River Reporter: Fall River Captain Paul Gauvin releases statement after ruling allowing his return to FRPDPosted Aug. 12, 2026. Source of the name of Gauvin's attorney, Andrew Gambaccini. Read Oct. 27, 2026.