AUGUSTA, Maine — EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above is NEWS CENTER Maine's reporting from April on Russell Gauvin's retirement following an investigation into his social media activity.
In a release Friday, the Maine Department of Public Safety announced that Matthew Clancy has been appointed Chief of the Bureau of Capitol Police.
The previous chief, Russell Gauvin, retired in April following a three-month investigation into his activity on social media. Gauvin was removed from his post and put on paid administrative leave in January after a report in the Portland-based alternative news publication Mainer shared months of Gauvin's politically-charged social media posts.
The report showed screenshots of posts that had since been deleted, including one that questioned the usefulness of wearing masks to combat the spread of COVID-19. Another suggested law enforcement officers eligible for retirement might do so after Joe Biden, who was president-elect at the time, took office.
According to Friday's release, Clancy has been in law enforcement for 35 years, 19 of those years as a police chief. He's currently serving as the interim police chief in Plympton, Massachusetts, where he had served as the permanent police chief for more than eight years.
Before his interim position in Plympton, he served as the chief of police in Duxbury, Massachusetts. According to Friday's release, he is also an adjunct professor at Bridgewater State University and served for more than a decade on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission.
“I am dedicated to the advancement of professional and accountable policing. Accountability, transparency, organizational integrity and community engagement are at the core of my policing philosophy," Clancy said in Friday's release. “I look forward to this new challenge and working for and with the citizens of Maine.”
A native of Rockland, Massachusetts, Clancy graduated from Western New England University with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice before receiving a Master’s in Criminal Justice from Boston University, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety. He also graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA.
“I’m excited to have Chief Matt Clancy join the DPS family” Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said in Friday's release. “Our Bureau of Capitol Police serve as the backbone of safety and security for the State House complex and Chief Clancy’s leadership style and collaborative approach will be a valuable addition to the team.”
The Maine Department of Safety said Clancy will begin his role as chief on Oct. 18.