3.27.2026 Press Conference - Mayor Coogan

Everybody ready?

Uh, my name is Paul Coogan. I'm the mayor of the city of Fall River. Um, obviously we have a little bit of a uh disagreement going on right now with the city council. Um, and much of it is legally based. So, I'd like to let my um corporation council make a few opening statements and then we'll get to what I have prepared and we'll go from there and we're going to make sure everybody

gets a copy of it. Alan Ramsey.

Good afternoon. Alan Rums, corporation council for the city of Fall River. So, why are we here? I think the issue um revolves around a search warrant that was submitted by the Fall River Police to the court system. Um the in support of that search warrant, there's an application. There's a statement of facts where the police believe that they have probable cause that in the commission of a crime.

There's a judicial scrutiny of that. Of course, this this application goes before the clerk magistrate who verifies that there was in his or her opinion that there was probable cause in the commission of a crime. The result of that search warrant is that the anonymous poster, Facebook poster, uh his name was revealed to the fall police. So the real issue here I think for a lot of people in the community is

there's a little surprise that you can obtain potentially obtain uh the name of somebody who's making anonymous posts and I think it's you know I think we all understand that your first amendment rights have limits. You can't yell fire in a crowded movie theater. I think most people understand that. But for some reason, I think a lot of people in this community think that they can post

whatever they want, whenever they want, anonymously on social media without repercussions.

So, the story came out. Um, people have heard about it. People are confused by it. In fact, there's a disagreement within the city of Fall River. You have the mayor who is the executive branch of the city. The mayor is in charge of having investigations when he feels necessary. And then we have the legislative branch which is the city council. So what I think is important here is that the administration

to my understanding they haven't received a single bit of evidence to suggest that there's been a violation of policy or a violation of law on the part of our police department. So is the administration's decision to not have an investigation or at least a formal investigation into this. Uh the city council strongly disagree with that. The city council not only said that they want it investigated, but they believe

that they have the right to obtain outside legal counsel to conduct their own investigation. And frankly, that's my involvement. Um, my involvement, I issued a an illegal opinion on this issue and is that the legislative body does not have the legal authority to obtain outside legal counsel to conduct an investigation in the conduct of the police officers. that it's a strictly executive function and it's 100% within

the the rights and the control of our mayor. So, that was my involvement. And with that, I'll pass it over to Mayor Coogan.

Thanks, Attorney Ramsey. Um, so I'll give you a little bit of a chron a chronological order to how this broke down. On on March 20th, a local Facebook post alleged that the for police department weaponized a search warrant to expose an FRPD's anonymous Facebook criticism of the chief's son, who by the way serves as a member of a undercover task force. On Sunday, March 22nd, um I was

asked to meet with council president and two other members of the city council to discuss this matter. In this meeting, it was suggested that an outside investigation into this matter be conducted. My suggestion then, as it was now, is that the office of the Massachusetts Attorney General or the Police Officer Standing and Training Review look at these allegations.

On Tuesday, we had our city council meeting and a resolution was filed by council president Pont and Chris Peekham and passed by a majority of the council after a detailed legal opinion advising against the passage of this resolution was issued by our city's corporation council Alan Rumsey who you just heard from. This resolution calling for the council, president, vice president, and chair of the public

safety committee to be authorized on behalf of the full council to retain independent outside legal counsel or a qualified investigative firm to conduct an investigation.

On Thursday, yesterday, a letter was sent to the council advising that based on the legal opinion of the C corporation council again, I would veto anything purposely authorized by the vote of the resolution. The letter, however, that called the so-called resolution of the council, it's improper. There is no veto of a resolution in the city of Fall River, only on the orders.

On Thursday, yesterday, following through on what I said, I sent a letter to the attorney general, Andrea Campbell, advising her to look into this matter. I do not believe there's any basis to investigate the conduct of any policeman in the city of Fall River involved with this, but we wanted it looked at. There is no allegation of any wrongdoing by an officer of the for police department at this time. I advise

the attorney general that nonetheless this council resolution has created suspicion that our police department was engaged in some kind of wrongdoing and I as the mayor and refu uh was refusing to investigate this cover up of wrongdoing.

This information could not be further from the truth. This involves much more than an anonymous Facebook account. This involves a city council who appears to be unwilling to follow the advice of the city's corporation council, putting the city and its employees in potential harm's way and looking to fund this investigation with funds that are earmarked for our yearly financial audit, not investigations.

As mayor of the city, I have an obligation to the taxpayers to see the government is run efficiently and effectively. and I took an oath to follow all laws of the Commonwealth and this city. I won't be threatened, coerced, or bullied into making a hasty decision where the taxpayers funding is concerned. And numerous times over these last few meetings together, I was threatened that nothing would pass the

council as long as I didn't do what they told me to do, including a plan we have to expand our prek program for our students at the Bishop Conley High School. Uh it was a constant barrage of threats, accusations, and it's uh not something I signed up for. Um one other piece of this which I was not happy to bring out was uh city council president Cliff Pont uh at one point or still is

involved with a uh with a company with the Facebook poster who put this whole story together. Um and that was never disclosed. And when the council pres president made his comments at the um at the council meeting, he never said we offered to do an investigation. He made it sound like there was what was the alternative? I had given him alternatives. The attorney general opposed. With that being said, everybody

will get a packet containing the letters, the uh articles of incorporation, and the things we've said going back and forth so you have it to do your stories. But um right now, I'm won't take any questions. Like did uh Mr. Ramsey initiate the legal opinion or did you initiate it?

Um I think that I think the article triggered the legal opinion.

So he did it on himself or you didn't tell him to do it?

No, I don't I don't really tell him what to do. This was buzzing around this the whole building that day. I don't know where he exactly got it, but again, I definitely wanted him to do it. I'm not hiding from it, but I don't know if I said you go do this now. That's what I'm telling you.

Did Did you read the 14page um search warrant and affidavit on Friday? Um, I read some of the search one.

You read some of it?

Yep.

Like Linda Pra. Okay.

No, most of it.

All right. So, what social media posts that that anonymous post did broke the law?

I'm sorry. I don't want to say the question.

So, he made 11 posts. Which of the 11 posts or all of them, which one do you think showed that he broke the law?

I have no justify the search warrant.

I don't make those calls, Michael. I'm not a policeman. I'm not an undercover officer. I'm not in the FBI. I'm a mayor. And all I can tell you is that if they go out and put a request in, that's based on their knowledge and their their professionalism.

So the the search warrant was put in and executed in 24 hours. State law says you have 7 days to return it or when the search warrant's executed. It was not returned for three and a half months until a far reporter went to the police station twice and to the magistrate twice. Do you have any concerns that a warrant stays classified until it's returned becomes public record? It was

never returned. So it wouldn't become public record.

I doubt that was the reason. If something fell through the cracks, um, we got to tighten that up. I did talk to some people. Many, many of those warrants are not returned in seven days.

Um, I bet you can find that out. I don't know if they go that long, but if it's an if it's something wrong with our paperwork, our process, I'm sure we'll tighten it up.

So, Officer Robard was mentioned in one of the social media posts. you. So you ordered an investigation with Jeff Gdoza in 2020 into Officer Roelard because there was drugs in his desk and he was suspended based on the investigation. You hired a former chief, Jack Souza, to investigate. He was pulled off of the drug unit.

The social media poster says he's back on the drug unit.

Okay.

Is he in your is he in the drug unit?

Back in the drug unit after being suspended in 2020.

I have no idea. Uh I don't, like I said, I don't work worry about staffing in the police department. That's the chief's job. Whatever she thinks is best to protect the citizens in the city of Forever, I support. Um whether he went up or down, people go positive, they go negative, they go back and forth. I support him as long as they stay on the positive side.

Okay. I'll ask another question.

Yeah. U mayor, the the the attorney general's involvement here, um did they give you any indication in terms of what they would do, when they would do it, anytime? Just uh right before the meeting started, Andrea Campbell just sent me a text message saying, "I'm swamped right now. I'll get back to you again next week."

All right. So, there's no You have no idea how long something like this would take?

No.

Okay.

I don't on any investigation. I hope they're they're quick, but you never know.

Any other questions?

Where is the chief? Will we be able to hear from her on this matter?

Uh I she's pro I hope she's working.

I hope I hope she's working. I don't know. I didn't invite her to this press conference. This really doesn't involve her.

Emily, um, this question might be better suited for attorneys.

Okay, Mr. Ramsey, did any city council come and seek your counsel before the resolution?

You better repeat the question because I don't think they can hear it. Emily talks soft.

Well, I I heard the question.

Okay, they didn't.

I mean, the question was whether any city council came to me um and let me know about the resolution before it's published. And the truth is I wouldn't be able to answer that question anyway.

Um I work for the entire city of Fall River. City councilors will come to me, ask my legal opinion, and I will give them advice and I do it confidentially.

I It's rare that actually stays confidential, but it's up to them to to disclose that whether they did or did not.

Did did you start initiate your legal opinion or did Mayor Coogan ask you to do?

That I can answer because if I don't give legal advice to somebody, I can answer that. Uh, I was made aware of the resolution, I believe, is approximately 10 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. No, I just happened to be in the room when it was hot off the presses. I don't think it was even um typed up until approximately that time. Um, when I read it, I realized that there was an issue that I

did not believe that they had the legal authority to retain their own outside legal counsel. So, my opinion was to protect the city council from doing something I thought would be against both Mass General Law and the city's charter. Do you do you always do that with a fall on saying I did very little research on this at the time?

You make an illegal opinion and say and then you say I did very little research on this just for example and you know with in our ordinances I have 10 days to issue an opinion. I mean we like to be thorough. I don't like to do off the cuff. I don't like to get before microphones. I like to do a thorough case law research. Look at our charter.

Look at mass general law. Um so that may actually somewhat answer the question.

You know, that was the first I heard of it is when I saw it. So, it was a very rushed opinion on my part. I've since looked into it more. I I believe the opinion is correct. In fact, it would have been a much stronger opinion saying the same exact thing had I had the time to research it more.

Why didn't you stay and answer the city council's questions after you drop off that legal opinion?

I was not invited to that city council meeting.

Then why did you go?

I didn't go. I dropped off a legal opinion so that they could have that before they did something I thought would be against the chart and against mass general law.

They didn't invite you and you said you don't go unless you're invited.

That's generally correct. I also had plans for the evening.

Okay.

Alan, um in in terms of the ability of the city council to hire their own uh legal representation, uh that falls under your purview. Correct.

That's correct. In fact, when you go outside, I can't even unilaterally decide that. It's kind of the checks and balances to make sure that my office isn't wasting money. Anytime I want to go for outside legal counsel, I actually need the mayor's permission as well.

So, that's your decision to to um either comply or or or give reasons why that shouldn't happen. The reason why I ask is I mean I remember a few years ago the council did have some outside counsel. I believe KP Law was doing some work for them at that time. I guess what's what's different from that to this? What's different is back then, um, I was the only full-time lawyer in the city. I had

one part-time employee as well. Um, the pitch at the time was to put money in a budget for that specific purpose. And as you know, the mayor prepares the budget.

U, the city council cannot increase the budget in any way. I believe that there was $40,000 put into that. And the pitch to me at the time was that they would help work with my office. They would basically be a part of my team, work under me. Uh the reality was uh I don't find that that was the case. Uh I don't have the ability to have a client that I

work for other than the city of Fall River. Um and I find that when the city council hires their own outside legal counsel, they they treat them like that's their only client. They're the the best interest of the city is not necessarily what they pursue. The best interest of the city council member or city council as a whole that ask them questions. That's who they're working for. And I found that that was not

advantageous for my office or the city as a whole.

Did you read the 14-page affidavit in search one?

I did not.

So, how are you making a decision not investigating by not reading that?

Well, my office would never make a decision as to investigation. My office potentially would represent each and every member of the city who runs into trouble, is accused of trouble. Uh, first and foremost, I represent the city, but sometimes, for example, if there were an automobile accident where somebody was potentially went through a red light or was speeding, I'm the person that defends that person. I would

not be the one who, even if there were disciplinary measures for going through a red light, I would not be involved in that decision. So, I I trust the system in this case. I believe there's actually more than one way to obtain the information from Facebook. But the way that it worked in this case, our police department swore on an affidavit. They believe that they had probable cause in

the commission of a crime. But it wasn't just them. We're now questioning our judicial department as well. This is a clerk magistrate that has nothing to do with the city of Fall River. Reviews the statement of facts and found that they also believe there was probable cause in the commission of a crime. So, I understand the concerns and I understand some of the concerns of the public, but

you have to trust the system and I think it worked.

You you say he has you saying O'Neal has no connection to the city of Fall River.

I'm saying a clerk magistrate is a member of our judicial branch. They are not employees of the city of Fall River.

Okay.

I don't know who the clerk magistrate was on this.

Can I can I ask a question of of Sure.

Okay. So only officer Mendes and the warrant and you have said the officer was undercover. The Facebook poster never said undercover. Why would a why would an officer be undercover while the Fargo Police Department is releasing press releases with that person's name on it over and over?

Okay, for drug bust.

I do believe that people in the police department's roles change. There's nothing to say that our our officers could not be on loan to a federal agency and go to Brockton, go to Burlington, Vermont where we had some recently trying to buy weapons or looking for fentanyl. Our our officers are loaned out as others are loaned to us. That's how it works. But I'm not going to get into anybody's specific assignment, but

I am comfortable that the city of Fall River did nothing wrong in this case, including the for police department.

But you say that, but you didn't read the warrant. The warrant. The warrant went to someone who's much more prepared to read it than myself, Michael. The clerk who reads hundreds of them. He put validity to it. I did follow up on that.

Many warrants from all the local police departments are rejected. That one was not. It had merit. It went forward because the warrant says he was undercover and there's no proof that he was undercover.

I've been I have been told differently.

Okay.

Any other questions? Um, again, this is a battle. We'll get over it. We'll move on to better things for the city of Fall River. We will not we will not do something that I believe in any way, shape, or form harms the city. And going forward, I hope that we're able to repair the relationship with the city council. Thank you very much.