Jerry Dyer | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2021 | |
| 26th Mayor ofFresno | |
| Assumed office January 5, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Lee Brand |
| 21stChief of Police of Fresno | |
| In office August 1, 2001 – October 16, 2019 | |
| Mayor | Alan Autry Ashley Swearengin Lee Brand |
| Preceded by | Ed Winchester |
| Succeeded by | Andy Hall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jerry Phillip Dyer[1] (1959-05-03)May 3, 1959 (age 66) Fresno, California, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Education | California State University, Fresno (BS) California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (MS) |
Jerry Phillip Dyer (born May 3, 1959) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer. He is the 26th and currentmayor ofFresno, California. Previously, he served as thechief of theFresno Police Department.
Dyer was born in Fresno to Donald Dyer and Anna Rackley on May 3, 1959. The Dyers relocated toFowler, California, in 1964. He attended and graduated fromFowler High School in 1977. While in high school, Dyer played on the varsity football, baseball, and basketball teams. After high school, Dyer joined theCollege of the Sequoias police officer training academy and was sworn in as an officer of theFresno Police Department on May 1, 1979, under then Police Chief George K. Hansen. Later his father and sister, Diana, would join Jerry in at the Fresno Police Department with his father previously serving in theMadera County Sheriffs Department. He served as a police officer in the Fresno Police Department for 22 years while rising through the ranks before being named chief of police in 2001.[2]
In 1985, Dyer was alleged to be involved in an extra-marital relationship with a 16 year old minor.[3] The accusations were never made public, and internal investigations led to no criminal charges against Dyer. According to an anonymous police source, Dyer admitted to having sex with the minor. In a 2001 Fresno Bee interview, Dyer refused to talk about the allegations, replying, “All I can tell you is that the relationships that I have had outside of my marriage, when I was a young man, have been dealt with. ... God’s forgiven me. My wife’s forgiven me. This department’s forgiven me and looked into a lot of things in my past.”[4]
In 2011, deputy chiefs Robert Nevarez and Sharon Shaffer[5] filed a lawsuit against Dyer. He was accused of creating a hostile work environment in the Fresno Police Department through making several racially and sexually insensitive comments. Fresno City Hall settled the lawsuit, paying $200,000 collectively to Nevarez and Shaffer.[6] Dyer also was questioned by the media for neglectful supervision of his chief deputy who was convicted in 2017 of conspiring to distribute heroin and marijuana of which Dyer claimed he was unaware.[5]
Dyer served as police chief for 18 years. He ran in the March 2020 election to succeedLee Brand as mayor. He received a majority of the vote, bypassing the need for a runoff election.[7] Dyer is the second former Fresno police chief to run for mayor and be elected after Mayor Truman G. Hart.
Dyer and his wife, Diane, have two children.[2]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Dyer | 50,914 | 51.56 | |
| Andrew Janz | 39,430 | 39.93 | |
| Floyd D. Harris Jr. | 2,262 | 2.29 | |
| Bill Gates | 2,262 | 2.29 | |
| Richard B. Renteria | 2,076 | 2.10 | |
| Nicolas Wildstar | 1,284 | 1.30 | |
| Brian E. Jefferson | 510 | 0.5 | |
| Total votes | 98,738 | 100 | |
| Turnout | {{{votes}}} | 39.38% | |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor ofFresno 2021–present | Incumbent |