FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – The Fresno Police Department officially has new leadership after former Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama resigned following an investigation surrounding his affair with an officer’s wife.
The department has named Deputy Chief Mindy Casto as their interim police chief.
“Nothing is more important than the protection of this community. People in this community deserve nothing less than a police department that’s efficient, that is compassionate, and that is out working to do the best that they can for this community to keep them safe,” Casto said during her first interview with our news team since accepting the position.
Casto says she knows she is taking on the job during a high-stakes moment for the department. She says she wants to be someone both officers and the general public can trust.
“This job is a pressure cooker,” she said. “Yeah, it’s a heavy burden. But again, this community’s been so good to me. It’s actually a privilege, and I’m very humbled by this opportunity.”