Police chief’s downfall leaves Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer in a dark mood | Opinion

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For the most disappointing press conference of his mayoral tenure, Jerry Dyer dressed for a funeral.

Black suit, black dress shirt and black checkered tie worn over an equally dark mood.

“It is with a heavy heart and mixed feelings that we announce (Tuesday) the resignation of Fresno Police Department Chief (Paco) Balderrama from the city of Fresno,” Dyer said, flanked by City Manager Georgeanne White and City Attorney Andrew Janz, both wearing the same grim expression.

It would be wrong for me to say Dyer has enjoyed a charmed existence during his 3½ years as mayor. Such an assertion would require overlooking a global pandemic, ongoing homelessness and housing crises, a $600,000 phishing scam, budget deficits, and the typical city government minefields.

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Still, this is unquestionably the low point. Balderrama was Dyer’s hand-picked choice to run the department that Dyer previously helmed for 18 years. And despite differences in age and ethnicity, Balderrama was practically Dyer’s Mini-Me. They thought, sounded and acted so much alike that it sometimes felt like they shared the same brain.

Dyer was clearly fond of Balderrama and the job he was doing, a warm sentiment that the subordinate was happy to share.

“I can tell you it’s very rewarding to see the success of this police department – and I can’t forget our mayor as well,” Balderrama told the Fresno City Council on June 5, one day before Dyer and White revealed the police chief had been under investigation since February.

“(Dyer) told me a while back, ‘I can’t give you a contract, but I give you my word that as long as I’m mayor, you’re my guy.’ ”

Less than three weeks later, Balderrama submitted his letter of resignation. As details of the chief’s alleged affair with the wife of a Fresno police officer became public knowledge, this was the only possible outcome.

That the police officer in question is reportedly Madera County Supervisor Jordan Wamhoff – and that Wamhoff allegedly began texting demands to Fresno city officials – made things even messier.

To be clear, police chiefs shouldn’t have affairs with the significant others of any officers under their command. But to carry on with the spouse of a local politician (Wamhoff was elected in 2022 and formerly served as vice president of the police union) showed monumentally poor judgment.

“We do believe this resignation by the chief is in the best interest of the community, the police department and our employees, as well as for Chief Balderrama and the families involved, given the intense media scrutiny that this matter has received,” Dyer said.

Dyer’s most difficult decision

Dyer should’ve stopped at “families involved” since one can easily argue he and White invited “intense media scrutiny” by releasing a vague statement about an open investigation into the chief of police’s personal conduct. Or did they really believe local news outlets would refrain from chasing such a juicy story?

I personally don’t think the mayor or city manager are that naive. Nevertheless, they should know innately that news of this nature can’t be corralled – nor positively spun.

During Tuesday’s press conference, Dyer said accepting Balderrama’s resignation was the most difficult decision he has made as mayor.

“This ranks up at the top,” he said.

If Dyer granted residents a portal to his inner thoughts, I suspect his sense of disappointment would be even deeper and more profound than what he has displayed.

How can’t it be? Despite Dyer’s authority over every city department, the police department remains his baby. In Balderrama, Dyer had a chief who was not only his spitting image but also someone he could fully trust to do an effective job.

Now all of that starts anew while a national search that city leaders say could take four or five months is conducted for Balderrama’s replacement. The next chief will inherit a larger, younger and more diverse department (thanks in large part to Balderrama’s efforts), but also one tainted by scandal.

Police scandals in Fresno are nothing new. In fact, they’re practically coded into the city’s DNA. For the last 3½ years, though, such wrongdoings took a backseat to a growing force and lowered crime rates.

No wonder Dyer wore black to Balderrama’s funeral. This is by far the biggest bummer he has faced as mayor.