A lawsuit filed in Fresno Superior Court on February 24, 2011, says that Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer's ringtone for Cynthia Sterling, an African-American former counsel member, is a slave song: "Mammy's little baby loves short'nin' bread." The lawsuit also alleges that Dyer mimics stereotypical slave dialect, making comments including; "yessa massa, I is yo pet" and "Um hum, I'm the mayor's boy, I'm the mayor's boy, yes'um, I'm the mayor's boy."

Dyer is alleged to have repeatedly made derogatory and racial comments and/or actions relating to different races, including, but not limited to African-Americans and Japanese, which include:

1. "You know brothers can't resist watermelons"
2. "You know brothers love melons"
3. Routinely refers to African-Americans as "Brothers"
4. During a meeting discussing fist strikes to the face, Dyer commented that fist strikes to the face should never occur, unless it is a brother, because brothers don't have bones in their noses.
5. Dyer's cellular phone ring tone for Blong Xiong, a Southeast Asian counsel member is an Oriental sounding ringtone.
6. Dyer refers to a female Japanese Police Department employee as his little Geisha Girl.
7. Dyer makes offensive and demeaning comments about women, including but not limited to: a) comments about police department employees clothes and cleavage b) commenting that the employee, must be out looking for a husband. c) comments about certain female police department employees never having to pay for drinks when they go out socially.
8. Dyer has made offensive remarks, relating to charging the County of Fresno an administrative fee for administering a grant, stating "Good, rape them, (laughing), and make them feel they liked it".
9. Dyer on numerous occasions, has demeaningly referred to City Hall being run like a "sorority", since the Mayor and her chiefs of staff are primarily women.

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