Fall River police chief denies drinking on duty after mayor sees video

The chief was appointed by former mayor Jasiel Correia II in November 2017 after former police chief Daniel Racine retired with a disability pension.

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FALL RIVER — After reviewing secretly recorded video of Fall River Police Chief Albert Dupere and subordinate officers drinking at a local bar on several occasions, Mayor Paul Coogan confirmed he has sought legal advice on the matter.

“I expect everyone who works for the city to carry themselves in a way that people will look up to them," Coogan said. "To have this discussion is disappointing, especially when talking about a police officer."

While Dupere, as of Wednesday, had not seen the video, shot by WPRI-TV in December and January and yet to air, he denies he drank alcohol while on duty. However, Dupere does admit he visited St. James Irish Pub multiple times with other officers before the end of the department’s business day, which runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Dupere said that some Friday afternoons, he and other officers took their lunch breaks at 3 p.m. The police chief also said he and the officers used “time accumulated” — time usable if attending night meetings during the week or working extra hours on investigations.

He also confirmed that on some Friday afternoon visits to the Purchase Street bar, he drove his police-issued vehicle which, in retrospect, he said, was not a good decision. 

“I have not seen the video, but based on what I’ve heard, I know for a fact that I have never drank while on duty,” Dupere told The Herald News Tuesday. “I admit to leaving the bar with my police vehicle. I get that it looks bad.”

Dupere’s three-year contract provides him with an unmarked police vehicle he is allowed to use "at his discretion both during and outside normal office hours, including its use for personal reasons." The contract also gives the chief a flexible schedule and compensation for time he works outside the department’s normal business hours.

The chief was appointed by former mayor Jasiel Correia II in November 2017 after former police chief Daniel Racine retired with a disability pension.

On Monday, Coogan said he was interviewed by WPRI-TV’s investigative reporter Tim White and viewed undercover footage the television crew had recorded of the chief.

After seeing the video, Coogan said he consulted with Corporation Counsel Alan Rumsey and an attorney from the city’s employment and labor law firm Clifford and Kenny.

“I met with them after talking to the chief on Tuesday. They advised me that all personnel issues are confidential and I will be following their guidance,” Coogan said.

The mayor declined to speak to what actions, if any, he would take regarding Dupere and the other officers, but he described some of the contents of the video he saw.

“It showed what looked like them having a drink or two on a Friday afternoon,” said Coogan.

Saying the interior shots of the video were “grainy,” Coogan said he could not identify any of the other police officers. However, Dupere identified one of the officers as Fall River Police Sgt. J.T. Hoar, Coogan said.

In February 2018, Hoar, who worked in the department's professional standards division, was the focus of an internal investigation after he crashed his unmarked police car into two parked vehicles on North Main Street on a Friday at approximately 5:46 p.m. A lawsuit related to the crash is pending, brought by a man who was in his pickup truck when the car Hoar was driving struck his vehicle.

A year before the crash, Hoar was one of two officers nationally honored for his actions during a shootout with an elderly man who had shot and killed another elderly man at a Tiverton cemetery.

Prior to a policy change implemented several weeks ago, Fall River police officers were not required to document time off.

Coogan said that two to three weeks ago, and before he was made aware of the video, he began requiring all city employees to document time off, “comp time” or “time accumulated.”

The Herald News reported last week that Dupere has received a total of $78,000 for vacation buybacks in the past three years. Last year, the chief was compensated for all 48 vacation days he earned. Coogan said last week that his administration and Dupere were reworking Dupere’s contract.

Email Jo C. Goode at jgoode@heraldnews.com.