Police Chief Mindy Casto's journey within the Fresno Police Department

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- "Let people judge you by your work ethic and your work product. Don't let other people define you. Be a good worker, a good partner, and a good team member, and I think that really pays off in the end," Police Chief Mindy Casto said.

For Caruthers native, Mindy Casto, practicing what she's preached has come full circle after more than 30 years working at the Fresno Police Department.

Hundreds attended her swearing-in ceremony as the city's 24th Chief of Police, where she also made history as the first woman to do so.

While Casto is breaking barriers, her driving force is her experience on a ride-along at 15 years old.

"I still don't really know why my mom set that ride-along up, but I did it, and that was just a game-changing moment for me. Just seeing how you can serve the community and be the one when people need help to arrive and bring calm to chaos," Casto said.

She started as an explorer and worked her way up the ranks.

She officially moved into her new office this week but has been working nonstop for months.

She served as Interim Chief since June before officially taking the helm.

Casto now leads nearly 900 officers, covering the fifth-largest city in the Golden State.

"Everybody in the department, up and down the ranks, we are very thankful for her leadership and thankful she was selected for the position and ready to support her in whatever she needs.," said Sgt. Diana Trueba Vega.

Vega's respect and admiration for Casto dates back over twenty years to when Vega was a new officer.

Vega remembers responding to a deadly car crash involving a 5-year-old, a call she says was close to home as a young mother.

Casto, a Sergeant at the time, checked in on Vega personally.

A simple conversation Vega has never forgotten.

"That just meant the world to me because she was not my supervisor, it was not her responsibility to reach out to me, she was not a wellness sgt, she was not working that day but she knew this could have impacted me," said Vega.

Casto is proud to work closely with Vega and emphasizes the value and importance of wellness in the agency.

"I want that to just be part of the culture. Part of second nature is to check on people in and out of the department. It's one Fresno, and that really means something," said Casto.

She also credits everyone in the department for pulling their weight and has set high standards and goals for the future.

"We have to stay diligent, on top of violent crime, but we need to start shifting slight to service. A lot of people will not be touched by violent crime," said Casto, "They will touched by a burglary or by an encampment next to their house, and those are the things we need to focus on as well."

Casto thanks her support system, including her husband and family, as she navigates this new journey.

"I don't want to let anyone down," she said, "and eventually, those kinds of things will happen; it's the nature of life. I could not do it without the support of my husband, and my family is great. I could not ask for more."

Casto setting the Fresno Police Department's Goals

The Office of Independent Review has released its latest report on the Fresno Police Department and incidents currently under investigation.

The report includes new incidents from 2025 and compares many sections with previous years.

It lists the internal affairs cases opened and completed between January 1 and March 31.

There was one case of an officer involved in a shooting, one case of unreasonable force, one case of bias, two car crashes, nine cases of discourteous treatment, and ten administrative cases.

During the first four months of this year, nine police officers were suspended for a total of 170 hours, eleven officers were given letters of reprimand, 15 were required to attend additional training, and one resigned.

Additionally, three officers were found to have violated a department policy regarding discourteous treatment.

Fourteen previous car crash investigations were completed, which found that an officer violated policy while driving in each case.

"I think that ever forgetting the difficulties that they go through is very important when you are having to review the actions of your officers, but again how do we address that and maintain the trust of our officers and the trust of the community," Casto said.

Casto went on to say that no agency is perfect and is proud of her team and their dedicated work to protect and serve the busy community.

You can find the full review here.

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