Fresno mayor to announce new police chief Tuesday. Sources have named this veteran cop
Fresno Mayor Lee Brand will announce Fresno’s next police chief Tuesday afternoon during a virtual news conference, according to a news release.
Brand and City Manager Wilma Quan are expected to make the 2 p.m. announcement over Zoom and on Facebook Live because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a news release.
No official sources have confirmed who the next chief will be, but multiple sources have told the Fresno Bee the hire will be 44-year-old Paco Balderrama, a deputy chief in Oklahoma City.
The veteran officer of more than 20 years has been in Fresno looking for a home, according to Fresno city officials.
Brand named Andy Hall as police chief in August 2019, following the departure of Jerry Dyer, who is now mayor elect.
Hall will have served for about 18 months by the time a city retirement program will force Hall to retire in the spring of 2021.
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 9:56 AM.
