Fresno police watchdog role has been vacant for 6 months. When will it be filled?
The city of Fresno has not had an independent reviewer of police misconduct for more than six months, and a number of unanswered questions remain on the status of new cases.
The city’s inaugural hire for the Office of Independent Review, John Gliatta, retired last August from the position he took when it was first created in 2017 under then-Mayor Lee Brand.
The city advertised for the position around the same time with the deadline for applications at the end of August.
But, more than six months later, the city does not have anyone in the position, and officials have not answered questions about what happens in the meantime for the investigations that were lingering or that have sprung up since then.
Fresno Police Department spokesperson Lt. Larry Bowlan on March 13 directed questions about news cases to City Hall. After publication of this article, the mayor’s office spokesperson Sontaya Rose said the city has restarted the process to fill the lead position for the Office of Independent Review after a candidate rejected an offer.
“We went through a process, interviewed candidates and made an offer to an excellent candidate,” Rose said in an email. “Unfortunately, the candidate rejected our offer so we are in the process of reposting the position.”
The position is unlike many city jobs, and may call for candidates with specialized skills. Gliatta, for instance, was a former FBI agent who had 27 years of experience. The creation of the office was touted as a way to increase police transparency and improve trust between police and the community.
During his time in Fresno, Gliatta issued quarterly reports on his double-checking of cases in which police were accused of misconduct. He also reviewed all police shootings and many use-of-force cases.
His last report was issued nine months ago and the cases left open as well as newly assigned cases remain pending, at least as far as the public is aware.
It’s unclear how many new complaints or cases that would have been audited by the independent reviewer have been opened since it became vacant.
The Fresno Police Department receives hundreds of complaints a year that are investigated to varying degrees by the Internal Affairs unit. Much of that information is not available to the public under the Police Officers Bill of Rights.
The Independent Reviewer released limited information in the reports, which included some details of accusations, what the Internal Affairs found and what the Independent Reviewer found.
The subject of the vacancy came up Wednesday during a town hall-style meeting police held on military-grade equipment and weapons. An attendee noted the open position has lingered and a report has not been issued since July.
Fresno Deputy Police Chief Burke Farrah said during the meeting he was not clear on what will happen for cases left so far unseen by an independent reviewer, but said police continue to follow their internal policies and are under potential review by the state Police Officers Standards and Training, a regulating body.
“Whether that person catches up on their work that’s done in the back and whatnot, I don’t know,” he said during the meeting. “But our policies remain the same. And not only are we accountable to our city manager, our mayor, our council (but) California POST we have to report to as well.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 2:18 PM.
