Fall River City Council votes to officially appoint Kelly Furtado as police chief

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — After a month of heated debate, Fall River’s city council voted to officially give Kelly Furtado the title of police chief Tuesday night.

Furtado became the interim chief in October 2024, after former chief Paul Gauvin stepped down by mutual agreement with the mayor.

Gauvin was supposed to return to the rank of captain, but months later he was fired after an outside firm found he had committed 15 violations, including having three unregistered guns in his locker.

Last month, the city council voted 5-4 against a contract that would have made Furtado the chief for the next three years.

Some councilors wanted a full search committee, as council president Joseph Camara expressed Tuesday.

“It’s not about not liking someone, or not wanting someone inside definitely,” Camara said. “But I want to know what our choices are.”

Trying to get Furtado over the finish line, Mayor Paul Coogan instead proposed a new one-year contract.

The vote Tuesday night was far from a landslide, eking by 5-4, largely thanks to a change of heart from council vice president Linda Pereira.

Pereira said she felt more confident in the process that was in place at the time of the second vote.

Moving forward, the council decided it will use a civil service commission to help vet candidates.

Thus, while Furtado will hold the reins for the next year, Camara said the city will keep its options open.

“I think we need to broaden the search and get the best possible person that’s qualified,” he said. “And it might be Chief Furtado.”

The city’s charter only allows for three to four-year contracts, meaning the council had to vote to change that ordinance as well.

That discussion will now advance to the ordinance committee for a stamp of approval.