The Fall River Police Department has been officially notified that Officer Nicholas M. Hoar was arrested today and charged with deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of false reports.

When the department was notified of the complaint against Officer Hoar, he was immediately placed on paid administrative leave. 

After consultation with the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), it was determined that the best course of action was to have the FBI conduct the investigation. Effective immediately, Officer Hoar has been placed on unpaid administrative leave.

An internal investigation is currently underway. We will work with our law enforcement partners to gather as much information as possible to further our investigation. All information regarding our investigation will be forwarded to the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission.

No further comment at this time.