Cop made bogus 911 calls on ex-girlfriend, another had sex on duty, Fresno report says

Four officers have been terminated from the Fresno Police Department in the first half of 2024. Also, the city investigated 18 police vehicle crash investigations and found the officer at fault in each case, according to city reports.

Among the officers who were issued 38 disciplinary actions so far this year: One was found to have had on-duty sex with a non-sworn police employee, and another officer placed multiple bogus 911 calls to initiate a police response to an ex-girlfriend’s house.

One officer resigned rather than face discipline, 19 were suspended and another signed a “last chance agreement,” according to reports from the Office of Independent Review.

Last chance agreements are common among police departments and can be used when an officer could potentially be terminated, but instead signs an agreement for one more chance to meet certain standards agreed upon by the employer and the officer rather than contest the discipline.

The 19 suspended officers missed 760 hours of work, the report says. The report lists violations but does not link them to their specific disciplinary actions, and one officer can receive more than one disciplinary action.

The report prepared quarterly by former FBI agent and Independent Reviewer John Gliatta does not include the names of officers and provides little detail. Some information is held out of the public eye under state law, the California Peace Officer Bill of Rights.

Conduct unbecoming of a police officer

A case the reviewer completed Jan. 3 found an officer was on duty while engaged in sex with a Fresno Police Department employee who was not an officer, the report says.

In a case completed Feb. 21, an officer was found to have failed to collect evidence in a sexual assault case. The officer also left “sensitive FPD property” unattended in a public area, one report says.

Another officer made more than one bogus 911 call to send officers to an ex-girlfriend’s house, according to an inquiry that was finished April. 4.

Other disciplinary actions were taken for officers who were found to be discourteous, violated a professional standard, or in once case, handcuffed a woman unnecessarily, the reports said.

Administration and performance

An officer was found to have violated seven policies in a report completed Feb. 14, including a violation for lying about an on-duty accident, the report says.

Another officer was negligent in firing a gun while searching a building, said an investigation completed Jan. 30.

Several other officers were disciplined for not completing reports on time, losing department equipment or a detainee’s property, leaving work without permission and starting a patrol shift without properly inspecting a cop cruiser, the reports say.

Crashes involving police officers

There were 12 crash investigations involving police officers completed in the first quarter of the year and another six in the second. In all 18 cases, the officers were found to be at fault, the report says.

The report does not include details on the severity of the crashes, what policies were broken or any details on the actual events of the crashes.