Fresno County DA scrutinizing court cases involving cop who said he was Proud Boy
With the recent revelation that Fresno Police Department officer Rick Fitzgerald was once a member of the right wing extremist group the Proud Boys, the Fresno County District Attorney’s office has begun identifying the cases he was involved with.
Fitzgerald was placed on paid administrative leave Sunday by Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama after he was spotted in a YouTube live stream with far-right counter protesters at the Tower Theatre.
In podcasts and YouTube videos, Fitzgerald talks about reaching leadership level in the Proud Boys before leaving to form his own group, called the “Sons of ’76.” The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the Proud Boys as a hate group.
Fitzgerald’s activities with the Proud Boys, a group with a history of violence and racism, has raised questions about how he did his job and whether he showed bias when enforcing the law.
As Fresno police continue their internal affairs investigation, Smittcamp said she wanted to take a proactive step by identifying the cases involving Fitzgerald.
Jerry Stanley, spokesman for the DA’s office, said the department wants to identify the cases so that they can assess Fitzgerald’s role, the nature and extent of his involvement and how that might impact those cases.
Smittcamp said in a statement that it is important that the people of Fresno County trust that members of the law enforcement community “will behave equitably and free from biases when investigating, evaluating and prosecuting cases. To the extent that Officer Fitzgerald’s alleged affiliations, publicly available statements, social media posts or observed conduct undermine that public trust is of grave concern.”
Smittcamp added that she will work with the “Fresno Police Department, the Fresno County Public Defender, all members of the criminal defense bar, and the courts in addressing these concerns and the impact it may have on any cases.”
Fresno police spokesman Lt. Robert Beckwith said Chief Balderrama supported District Attorney Smittcamp’s move to identify Fitzgerald’s cases.
“As he (Balderrama) previously stated, the integrity and legitimacy of our Police Department are vital in maintaining the trust of our community,” Beckwith said.
Public Defender Scott Baly said he too is concerned about making sure people were treated equitably by Fitzgerald.
There are about 20 active cases that Fitzgerald has been involved with.
“What concerns me the most are the closed cases,” Baly said. “Those are the cases where people may have entered into a plea bargain because they trust the system. They trust that the police officer was doing an honest investigation and not harboring a bias such as this person may apparently have done.”
