City investigation into Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama raises questions after his resignation

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) – A former independent police auditor is raising questions about the city’s investigation into Paco Balderrama after he resigned as chief of the Fresno Police Department.

Balderrama’s departure came on the heels of an investigation into the police chief’s relationship with an officer’s wife. City Manager Georgeanne White announced the findings Tuesday.

“One of the allegations referred to in the Sun article was that Chief Balderrama used his position to undermine the officer’s career moves that would have brought an end to the affair. While I cannot go into the details of the investigation, I can say that this allegation was not substantiated,” White said.

City Attorney Andrew Janz says the investigation was led by a private firm.

“We outsourced the investigation to an outside entity, an outside attorney, to avoid any appearance of bias or impropriety. And so we brought in an attorney from Atkinson Andelson. His name is Andrew Aller,” Janz said.

Aller is a former Fresno County prosecutor and his ties to City Hall are currently being investigated by LaDoris Cordell.

Cordell is a retired Superior Court judge and former independent police auditor for the City of San Jose.

“The person who did this was a member of the Fresno police force. It was a person who at least has an acquaintance, an acquaintance of or a relationship with the mayor who was a former police chief. I question the independent part of that report,” Cordell said.

Cordell also sheds light on how the investigation is conducted behind closed doors.

She says the investigating prosecutor likely interviewed Balderrama and possible witnesses.

Although no abuse of power was found in the investigation, Cordell is concerned about Balderrama’s behavior and is calling on the city administration to make all findings public.

“We don’t know the outcome, other than their conclusion: ‘Well, it wasn’t an abuse of power.’ That’s inadequate,” Cordell said. “I think the public has a right to know more.”

With a few exceptions, Cordell says, the state’s Police Officers’ Bill of Rights prevents officers from disclosing most information related to officer misconduct and disciplinary actions.

This means that all the details may never come to light.

For updates follow Gabe Ferris on Facebook, Þjórsárden and Instagram.