Former Fall River Police Chief Paul Gauvin will return to the Fall River Police Department as a captain after the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission overturned his 2025 firing and replaced it with a 90-day suspension.
In a decision dated Aug. 6, the commission found that Gauvin did engage in misconduct, but said the city’s decision to fire him went too far. Commissioner Paul Stein wrote that the commission’s findings differed significantly from those in the external investigation that led to Gauvin’s termination.
The commission rejected two major allegations against Gauvin, finding that claims he improperly received extra on-call compensation and removed historic photographs from police headquarters were unfounded.
It also found that Gauvin did not intentionally threaten his successor, former Chief Kelly Furtado, by leaving a knife and bullet in the chief’s office. However, the commission determined that Gauvin was negligent in keeping three firearms in his police locker without properly reporting them, violating department policy.
The commission said discipline should be remedial rather than punitive and that termination is appropriate only when an employee’s performance cannot be corrected. Based on its findings, it determined that a 90-day suspension was sufficient.
Gauvin joined FRPD in 1997 and served as chief from May 2022 until October 2024, when he resigned following no-confidence votes from both police unions. He was expected to return to his previous role leading the Major Crimes Division, but allegations made by Furtado and the two union presidents prompted the city to hire an outside investigator. That investigation resulted in Gauvin’s April 2025 firing.
Gauvin appealed the termination to the Civil Service Commission, which has now ordered that he be reinstated following his suspension.
