Fall River Police: Officer Behind Chauvin-Floyd Post Reassigned

FALL RIVER — The Fall River Police Department said today that the person who reposted a controversial opinion on the Derek Chauvin verdict on the department’s Facebook page has been transferred to another assignment and could face disciplinary action.

At about 12:17 p.m. on April 21, the Fall River Police Department’s official Facebook page reposted from the Facebook page “Deputy Matt & Others Who Serve,” a post that was itself a repost from a page entitled “Roberta’s World” that read, “Chauvin immediately stood and calmly placed his hands behind his back. Imagine where we’d be had George done the same.”

At 1:13 p.m., Fall River Police removed the post and issued the following statement:

“It is with regret that the Fall River Police Department's Facebook page was accessed by personnel who inadvertently re-posted an opinion that was meant for their own personal account. The posting in no way represents the opinion of the Chief of Police or the Fall River Police Department. We will continue our commitment toward transparency and building relationships with our community.”

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Mayor Paul Coogan also issued a statement later on Wednesday, calling the post “disappointing, frustrating and unacceptable” and stating “there is no place in the FRPD for an opinion like that.”

On Thursday at 10 a.m., the department posted another statement on its Facebook page, attributed to Police Chief Jeffrey Cardoza stating that the individual who posted it was “one of a few designated officers who has access to the department’s official Facebook page, and that the officer involved “has been transferred to an assignment that has no contact with the public.” Cardoza also said that an independent investigator from outside the department has been assigned to look into the situation.

“We will thoroughly investigate and address this incident, up to and including disciplinary action,” Cardoza said.

He also said the post “in no way reflects the beliefs of this organization.”

“I am personally disappointed these attitudes exist,” Cardoza said. “Through training, we have been and will continue to ensure our staff practices fair and impartial policing.”