California Police Chief- Fall 2013 CPCA_2019_Spring Magazine- FINAL | Page 23

was then promoted to deputy chief and assistant chief in
the same year. During this time, he remained true to the
community which he loved, stayed connected and oversaw
the operating budget for the 5th largest city in California.
In 2001, soon after his promotion as assistant chief,
he was appointed as chief of police. Since then, Chief
Dyer has made sure that all five district stations have
moved into new facilities, providing the latest available
technology so that everyone is able to do their jobs to the
best of their abilities. He again was able to secure donations
from several community members and businesses which
resulted in the Department’s first Real Time Crime Center,
Media Room and Joint Media Center (a large media room
used for press conferences with allied agencies).
In addition to serving the residents of Fresno he
also served the members of the California Police Chiefs
Association. Chief Dyer was appointed to the Board
of Directors of the California Police Chiefs Association
in 2004 and elected 3rd vice president in 2005. He was
sworn in as president of Cal Chiefs in March 2008, at the
association’s 31st Annual Training Symposium, which he
hosted in Fresno.
He is the only major city chief to serve as president of
the association and was a very hands-on leader. Because
the president who succeeded Jerry, Pasadena Chief
Barney Melekian, left his presidency part way through
his term, Chief Dyer served as past president on the
Executive Committee for almost two years and chaired the
Nominating Committee twice as a result.
Chief Dyer’s experience as public information officer
shown through during his time as president of Cal Chiefs
especially when it came to speaking with the media. And
there was not a lack of issues to discuss with the media
during his presidency. He emerged as a leader of the law
enforcement coalition that worked tirelessly on a counter
proposal to the release of 40,000 inmates as proposed by
the three-judge panel in the Coleman/Plata case. He is a
subject matter expert on prison and parole reform issues
and their effects on local law enforcement and public safety.
As we all now know, the potential prisoner release by the
three-judge panel resulted in the proposal and passage of
AB 109, better known today as Realignment. Chief Dyer
went toe to toe with the Coleman/Plata attorneys and
Governor Jerry Brown over the potential public safety
impacts of this legislation and was successful in helping
negotiate funding for local law enforcement in the budget
to deal with the drastic changes to the criminal justice
system created by AB 109.
In 2011, Jerry Dyer was honored by San Mateo Chief
Susan Manheimer with the Joe Molloy Memorial Award for
his record of commitment and contribution on a statewide
level to the association and to the greater law enforcement
community. He continues to be highly respected within
the law enforcement community, both as a chief and as a
statewide leader in policing.
SPRING 2019 | California Police Chief
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