Drunk on the job? Public intoxication? 27 new disciplinary actions for Fresno officers
Twenty-seven disciplinary actions came down in the latest report issued Monday on Fresno police officers and employees who were arrested or found to be acting outside policy.
One employee was fired after being caught with child pornography, police said.
A Fresno Police Department records clerk, 49-year-old Jose M. Gonzalez, was arrested Feb. 24 on suspicion of the child pornography possession, police said. The independent reviewer began his second look at the case on March 1.
Gonzalez was fired, and his next hearing in Fresno County Superior Court is Aug. 16.
The report from the Office of Independent Review, released quarterly, also mentioned that an officer retired rather than be disciplined, one cop was demoted, and the department handed down 16 suspensions for a total of 490 hours and eight requirements for additional training.
The number of disciplinary actions may double-count some officers because, for example, one officer could be suspended and also ordered to take more training.
The report does not include names, nor does it say which violations led to which punishments.
Unreasonable force
An officer failed to turn on a body-worn camera in a case started Nov. 9, 2022, the report shows. The officer was cleared of an accusation of use of unreasonable force.
The next day, another investigation began that exonerated three officers of accusations of using unreasonable force. But one officer was found to not have properly documented the use of force, a violation.
Discourteous treatment or conduct unbecoming of a police officer
Twelve investigations of allegations of discourteous treatment or poor behavior came to a close this quarter, the report shows.
One officer was intoxicated on the job, according to an investigation that began Sept. 21. That officer was found to be guilty of actions unbecoming of an officer.
Another officer was acting in a way unbecoming of an officer in an investigation that began Oct. 6 after another agency arrested the officer on charges of being drunk in public.
Two officers were found to have violated police policy when they did not search a suspect well enough in an investigation that began May 16, 2022. The suspect had a weapon that was discarded in an ambulance, the report says.
Administrative or performance matters
In an inquiry begun on Sept. 27, an officer conducted an unauthorized pursuit, the report says.
Another officer negligently discharged a less-lethal weapon inside a parking garage, an investigation from March 16 found.
Shootings
The reviewer is still going over evidence in seven cases in which police officers shot someone, including five fatal shootings.
The only officer shooting investigation completed in the latest quarter involved the non-lethal shooting of a dog on April 9, which the reviewer found was within policy.
This story was originally published July 18, 2023 at 9:30 AM.
