Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said his detectives are investigating whether the female officer was an exact target of this attack. The officer works in the Southwest Division where she was until 2 a.m. Sunday morning. Then around 3 a.m. the chief says two Molotov cocktails were thrown at the front of the officers home in Northwest Fresno.
They say if the arsonist targeted the woman because she's an officer the crime is much more serious.
The attack caused two fires to start -- one inside and one outside the home. The fire department quickly put the two fires out.
The chief said the officer was home with another woman and three children when the attack happened. Fortunately, they were not injured.
The chief said because of the severity of an attack like this, he and his department are taking the incident very seriously. They're working with the Fresno Fire Department Arson Unit to find the person responsible for the attack.
The chief says the officer will soon be back to work. "I spoke with her earlier today and she's in good sprits, very concerned about what has occurred, as we are. I have assured her that we're going to take whatever security measures in place to ensure that she is safe."
The Southwest Division, where this officer works, was the target of an arson incident on August 17th. A police cruiser and two personal cars were set on fire outside the police station. The cars in that incident do not belong to the officer involved in Sunday morning's incident.
Chief Dyer said the department is investigating whether the two incidents are related.
An internal voice mail was being circulated warning other Fresno Police Officers to be aware of their own personal safety because of this incident. That warning will also go out to other local law enforcement agencies in the Valley.
No one is in custody yet, but police are actively searching for witnesses or security cameras that may provide information on the arsonist.
