Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan announced that Captain Kelly Furtado will assume the role of interim police chief. Captain Furtado is the first woman to serve as the city’s top cop.
Captain Furtado is a Fall River native with her father, husband and son serving as Fall River police officers. She was hired in 1988, first serving as a dispatcher before moving up the ranks as a community officer, handling domestic violence and child abuse cases, leading school resource officers, and, as captain, placed in charge of the Special Operations Division.
Mayor Paul Coogan says even though Captain Furtado’s hiring is historic, it played no role in her appointment.
Captain Furtado will officially begin her role next week when she is sworn in. She says her top priority as chief is to foster a sense of teamwork among all officers and look for ways to make the department more efficient.
Having served as a police officer in the Corky Row and Flint neighborhoods, Captain Furtado recognizes the importance community policing can play in promoting a safe city.
The appointment of Captain Furtado follows Mayor Coogan and Chief Paul Gauvin mutually agreeing for Gauvin to step down following votes of no-confidence in Gauvin’s leadership within the department by two police unions. Gauvin will return as captain and lead the department’s Major Crimes Division.
Mayor Coogan says Gauvin’s contract expires in May and the city has time to search for a permanent chief.
