Citing intense scrutiny from the ongoing investigation, Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama was placed on leave Wednesday, City Manager Georgeanne White confirmed.
Balderrama has been under investigation since February after informing White and Mayor Jerry Dyer he might be accused of an inappropriate relationship, the city confirmed last week.
“In light of the intense public scrutiny surrounding the administrative investigation and in the best interest of all parties involved, Chief Balderrama will be placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation,” White’s email to city employees said.
Deputy Chief Mindy Casto was placed into operational control effective immediately, the email said.
Two sources familiar with the investigation confirmed to The Bee that the investigation had to do with an affair Balderrama was having for about two years with the wife of an officer under his command.
The 47-year-old has been chief since the beginning of 2021 when he moved to Fresno, the state’s fifth-largest city, from Oklahoma City, where he last served as deputy chief.
City leaders have remained mum on the nature of the relationship in the investigation other than to call it potentially “inappropriate.”
Balderrama told reporters at City Hall on Wednesday that the ongoing nature of the investigation meant he could not comment on it. His voice cracked with emotion as the married father of three said it has been difficult on his family.
Members of the Fresno Police Officers Association union have expressed anger over word of the affair, affecting morale and internal support for the chief, the union president said in a memo to members obtained by The Bee.
City officials have not said what policy Balderrama may have violated that sparked the investigation.
The Fresno chief of police job is an at-will position, which means the person holding it can be terminated at any time for any reason, according to the wording of the contract.
The FPOA executive board was meeting at its Tower District offices on Wednesday when the email about Balderrama’s leave was released.
Source Agencies
