Former police auditor LaDoris Cordell scrutinizes Paco Balderrama investigation, city responds

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's been a week since the metropolis announced it was investigating allegations that Chief Paco Balderrama engaged successful an 'inappropriate off-duty relationship.' At first, metropolis leaders said they would support Balderrama successful his relation during the investigation, but successful a astonishing crook past night, they placed him connected administrative leave.

Action News spoke with a erstwhile autarkic constabulary auditor who says the city's deficiency of transparency is fueling the aggravated nationalist scrutiny.

When Police Chief Paco Balderrama spoke to Action News connected Wednesday, helium sounded defiant amid an probe into an alleged inappropriate relationship.

"If I sold insurance, if I was a principal, if I was a manager of different department," said Chief Paco Balderrama, Fresno Police. "Would this marque news? No, it wouldn't."

LaDoris Cordell (a retired Superior Court justice and erstwhile autarkic constabulary auditor for the metropolis of San Jose) says fixed Balderrama's position, the scrutiny is appropriate, and the main should beryllium held to a higher ethical modular than the mean citizen.

"This benignant of baggage present is distracting from immoderate bully enactment that instrumentality enforcement does," Cordell. "However, this is not, and I stress not a trivial matter. The policies and procedures specifically authorities and code off-duty behavior. You person to person a higher modular if you're going to beryllium successful instrumentality enforcement

Initially, the metropolis said Balderrama would enactment successful his presumption during the investigation, but reversed people Wednesday nighttime saying helium would beryllium enactment connected administrative permission owed to the aggravated nationalist scrutiny surrounding the investigation.

Cordell said hiring an autarkic researcher was the close move, but the deficiency of transparency lone increases nationalist scrutiny.

"The nationalist should know, who is this investigator," said Cordell. "What are the investigator's credentials? And however was this researcher selected to bash this? So those are very, precise important questions due to the fact that they spell to the credibility of the investigation."

Cordell said nether the Peace Officer's Bill of Rights the nationalist does not person the close to details connected misconduct oregon what subject is imposed, but she said transparency during and aft the probe would assistance rebuild nationalist trust.

"It is my anticipation that the metropolis officials volition disclose each of the information," said Cordell. "If the probe vindicates the chiefs, truthful beryllium it. If it does not, the nationalist needs to know, nary substance what happens, and besides needs to cognize what is, what are the repercussions."

Thursday afternoon, City Attorney Andrew Janz sent Action News a statement.

"As the erstwhile autarkic auditor pointed out, the constabulary main and different officers, person protections nether authorities instrumentality that prohibits maine from conducting this probe successful a nationalist setting. The information that I appointed an autarkic researcher demonstrates the City's committedness to having an unbiased, administrative investigation."

Thursday morning, Councilmember Miguel Arias raised concerns of a treble standard.

"In my tenure, respective high-ranking metropolis officials person openly engaged successful extramarital affairs with metropolis employees nether their concatenation of bid successful those incidents, those officials, who happened to beryllium white, did not look subject oregon termination," said Arias.

He says helium volition beryllium monitoring the probe to guarantee employees of colour are treated fairly.

Balderrama was acceptable to talk astatine a nationalist information league successful Atlanta tomorrow. However, erstwhile I reached retired to organizers, they said helium was nary longer speaking and is not connected site.

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