‘A noble profession.’ New Fresno police officers sworn in and several more promoted
Almost two dozen new Fresno police officers were sworn in and others were promoted in a ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the Fresno Convention Center’s Valdez Hall in downtown Fresno.
More than 100 people attended the ceremony to see the officers take their oath.
“It means a lot because 23 additional police officers really will have an impact in our city,” Police Chief Paco Balderrama said. “We’re trying to hire more police officers and this is being done through a very difficult time. It’s difficult because of the de-funding movement, COVID; and violent crime is up and really some of the negative sentiments that is felt throughout the country against law enforcement.
“That is not really the case here in Fresno. We actually get a lot of support in the Central Valley and in our community.”
Balderrama addressed the officers with this message: “Thank you, for being the few who have the courage, intellect, self-control and ethics to do this job. Thank you for being part of the leadership team that will make the Fresno Police Department the best police department in the state of California.”
The officers sworn in were: Valentin Abrego Jr., Jacob Andrade, Isaiah Brown, Rose Diaz, Michael Espinoza, Miala Feijo, Matthew Goertzen, Andrew Hernandez, Jermaine Jones, Vincent Lopez, John Mendez, Ernesto Mendoza-Sanchez, Brian Meza, Trevor Morgenstern, Nicholas Moua, Matthew Rodarte, Ignacio Ruiz, Kristin Thompson, Vincent Tinoco and Jony Yanez.
Police officer lateral: Nicholas Colon-Zamago, Elias Gonzalez and Johnathan Major.
Police Sergeant: Sukhbir Chauhan, Parvinder Dhillon, Erika Ia and Michael Pierce.
Police Lieutenant: Brian Valles.
Police Captain: Robert Beckwith.
Deputy Chief: Burke Farrah.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, the former long-time Fresno police chief, told the families in attendance about a saying that’s gone around the department for years.
“Although it is a police officer that wears the badge, it is the family that carries the weight of that badge,” Dyer said. “The burden of not knowing if your loved on is going to come home at night or being home alone when your loved one is working a weekend or night or holiday — you carry that weight, and I want to say thank you to the families for allowing your loved one to serve in this profession, a noble profession.”
