Massachusetts POST Commission bans former Bristol County police officer citing “sufficient evidence” of misconduct

A now former police officer in Bristol County has been banned from serving in Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts POST Commission voted last month in a closed-door meeting to decertify 30-year-old Nivaldo Mendes, a former police officer with the New Bedford Police Department.

According to New Bedford Light, Mendes was placed on paid administrative leave by the NBPD on December 31, 2024, after just under a year on the job.

The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission suspended his certification on January 6, 2025, citing “sufficient evidence” of misconduct.

The action stemmed from charges filed in Taunton District Court in January 2025, accusing him of multiple incidents in 2024 involving assault and battery on a family or household member (three misdemeanor counts) and strangulation or suffocation (two felony counts).

The Bristol County District Attorney’s office also sought to revoke his bail in January 2025 after he allegedly violated a restraining order filed by the victim.

In February 2025, Mendes pleaded guilty to the three misdemeanor assault and battery charges. A judge sentenced him to 18 months of probation, while the two felony strangulation charges and the abuse prevention order violation were continued without a finding—meaning they could be dismissed upon successful completion of probation.

Mendes’ decertification results in a lifetime ban from law enforcement work in Massachusetts and inclusion on a national registry of decertified officers.