Paco Balderrama will be sworn in as Fresno’s next police chief on Monday. He was first introduced on December 8 during a virtual news conference. Current Chief Andy Hall's last official full day as the top cop is Sunday. He's overseeing one last violent crime suppression operation through this weekend. The...
Police Say 68% Arrested in Fresno Violence Crackdown Already Released. Operation Extended.
The Fresno Police Department launched a violent crime suppression operation on October 6 in response to an increase in murders and shootings. It was scheduled to end after the holidays, but in a Wednesday news release, Police Chief Andy Hall said, "we are continuing to see an unacceptable amount of...
Veteran Fresno PD Officer Dies After Battle With COVID-19
A veteran Fresno police officer died Monday night "after a long battle with an illness," according to a department news release. Fresno City Council Member's Mike Karbassi and Luis Chavez confirmed to GV Wire℠that Officer Angel De La Fuente died after contracting COVID-19. De La Fuente served with the department for...
Shootings Down 60%, Police Say. Task Force Will Continue Through Holidays.
Fresno police say shootings in the city have dropped 60% since a violence suppression task force was formed on October 6. Chief Andy Hall told reporters at a Monday afternoon news conference that the task force will continue in force through the end of the year. "So far, this operation...
Rally Leaders Say Funds, Communication Lacking from City Hall in Anti-Violence Effort
Fresno police say they're seeing more shootings in every policing district this year than at the same time last year. Resources are stretched thin, different strategies are being utilized, and some progress is being made, according to deputy chief Mark Salazar. However, what's not working according to some community members?...
Curfew? No Alcohol Sales After 10? Councilman Says Nothing Off Limits After Surge in Violence.
Fresno police were involved in two separate officer involved shootings over the weekend. Sergeant Jeff LaBlue tells GV Wire℠there were also 5 murders (one of those a stabbing), and 5 other shootings in the past few days. In the past week there have been two incidents involving innocent bystanders. Fresno...
Fresno Police Ask for More Money, Mental Health Center
Police chief Andy Hall wants to turn a recently vacated police substation into an employee mental health facility. Hall said that officer suicides are on the rise. While there is a mental health counselling office at police headquarters, Hall wants a more private facility. He proposed turning the former substation...
‘We’re in the Middle of a Crime Wave.’ Fresno Leaders Voice Concerns.
Fresno City Council Member Luiz Chavez says 600 criminals have been released back into the city since April. "We're in the middle of a crime wave, and that is not a term that I use loosely because that's how it's being described here in our city. And we need to...
Defund Fresno PD? It Won’t Happen. Nor Should It.
I have a blunt message for liberals clamoring to "defund" the Fresno Police Department and dramatically reduce the presence of officers. It won't happen. Nor should it. Cops aren't responsible for the city's ills: poverty exacerbated by underinvestment in south Fresno, decades of redlining, and a school district that has...
‘Whole City on High Alert’ After $300K Stolen From Jewelry Store
"The whole city is on high alert," said Fresno Police Sgt. Jeff La Blue Monday after a break-in and vandalism at Fig Garden Village. "We definitely have more officers on the street." Around 11:25 p.m. Sunday, police received a call about 15 vehicles circling the northwest Fresno shopping center in...