Interim Chief Mindy Casto is looking to move on from the recent black eye on the Fresno Police Department. Casto, a 27-year department veteran, was named to the department’s top job after Paco Balderrama resigned as chief on June 25. An investigation revealed Balderrama had an affair with the wife of another Fresno police officer.
That created distrust with the police union and was a sign of “poor discretion,” Mayor Jerry Dyer said. Balderrama will remain on the payroll and will serve as a consultant until July 25. Related Story: Casto, 48, wants to maintain the department’s work of reducing homicides and violent crime.
She also wants to sharpen the department’s focus on auto traffic accidents and fatalities. City Manager Georgeanne White and Dyer will be formulating the process on selecting the next chief. Dyer said it will be a national search, using a consulting firm.
It could take up to five months, he said. Casto sat down with GV Wire last week for a one-on-one interview about her goals, her background, and her future. Even though she has the chief’s full rights and responsibilities, Casto chooses to wear only two stars on her collar.
Typically, the chief wears four stars. “That’s just what we’re going to do. I mean, this is a temporary role, and obviously all the responsibility comes with it as a full time.
But it is an interim role, so I think it’s just most appropriate,” Casto said. She does not know yet if she wants the job full time. “It’s .
