In Today’s Episode:
A mayor accused of tracking an ICE agent: FOX26 reporter Madison Macay investigates allegations that a California mayor followed, photographed, and confronted a man who turned out to be a local hairstylist.
A police transparency law that never took effect: ABC7 investigative reporter Scott Taylor discovers that Washington, D.C., never funded a law intended to make police disciplinary records public.
A California Mayor Accused of Stalking
On October 14, Fresno resident Eric Bridges says he noticed an orange car following him and taking pictures as he drove toward Kearney Park.
According to Bridges, the driver followed him for about 25 minutes, blocked his car, and eventually confronted him outside a family member’s home.
The woman was allegedly Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco, who Bridges says believed he was an immigration enforcement agent.
FOX26 reporter Madison Macay obtained surveillance footage of the encounter and also spoke with Bridges’ attorney.
According to Bridges’ signed statement, Pacheco told him:
“I’m looking for ICE and you look like ICE.”
But Bridges is a hairstylist, and has never worked for ICE.
His attorney has asked the Fresno Police Department and the DA’s office to investigate possible stalking and false imprisonment.
Mayor Pacheco has called the allegations “ridiculous” and told the Fresno Bee that if Bridges wants to go to court, she’s prepared to do so.
Pacheco has publicly confronted immigration officers before, including during an October 8 encounter outside a bakery in Kerman.
Macay says immigration enforcement has become a hot-button issue in the Central Valley, where agriculture depends on immigrant labor, leaving some families afraid to leave their homes.
Bridges says the confrontation has had consequences for him too, alleging that he received threats after being publicly identified.
Although no criminal charges have been announced, his attorney is considering civil legal action.
D.C. Passed a Police Transparency Law. Why Wasn’t It Funded?
Our second story takes us to Washington, D.C., where ABC7 investigative reporter Scott Taylor was looking into a scandal involving the Metropolitan Police Department.
An internal affairs investigation looked into allegations that serious crimes had been classified as lesser offenses, and raised questions about the accuracy of the city’s crime statistics.
Thirteen senior police officers were placed on paid administrative leave following the investigation.
Taylor wanted to know what happened during their disciplinary hearings, but the department wouldn’t release the results.
That’s when he discovered something surprising.
In 2022, the D.C. Council passed a police reform law which included a provision intended to make disciplinary records more accessible to the public. However, the city never funded that provision.
“I’ve never heard of this before, and I’ve been doing this for 30 years, that a council of any city across the nation would pass a law and then, for three years, not fund it.”
Taylor says police officials cited the lack of funding as the reason they couldn’t release the records. And when he brought the issue to D.C. Council Member Brooke Pinto, he learned the problem was not just with the police.
“She said, ‘Scott, you have to understand we have a lot of laws that aren’t funded.’”
Taylor kept digging and found 35 pages documenting laws that had been passed but weren’t fully funded.
Pinto told Taylor she wants the police transparency provision funded, and hopes the incoming mayor can help make that happen.
That’s the briefing for today.
What do you think about the Kerman mayor’s alleged attempt to track an ICE agent? And does your city or state have any laws that they do not enforce?
Let us know what’s on your mind at hi@thenationalpress.com
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