PASADENA, Texas – Questions surrounding the Pasadena Police Department’s use of its Flock Safety camera system were raised publicly during Tuesday night’s Pasadena City Council meeting, days after KPRC 2 reported that a police sergeant resigned while under an active internal investigation.
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During the council meeting, Council Member Carlos Heredia Sr. addressed the recent reporting, saying the allegations have damaged public confidence and calling for greater transparency from the department.
“Recent reports involving some alleged misuse of city Flock cameras have further eroded the public’s confidence,” Heredia said during the meeting. “These are serious allegations that demand transparency and accountability.”
Heredia said residents deserve to know what changes are being made to restore trust and ensure officers remain focused on public safety.
“The increased scrutiny in our department has increased, and our residents deserve to know what changes are being made to ensure the trust and to ensure that officers are focused on fighting crime, not losing the public’s confidence,” Heredia said.
He added that he supports Pasadena police officers but believes the department’s priorities should remain on public safety.
“Let me be clear, I do support the hardworking men and women of the Pasadena Police Department, and my concern is with priorities of the department,” Heredia said. “District A deserves proactive policing, safer streets and a police department that’s focused on protecting our families and holding criminals accountable.”
The issue also surfaced during public comment, where one speaker criticized city leaders over the Flock camera system and questioned why concerns about police misconduct had not been raised during previous council meetings.
“It’s kind of sad to see you on the news talking about Flock but not bringing it up here,” the speaker said, addressing Council Member Emmanuel Guerrero. “It’s kind of funny that you’ll talk about police misconduct when there’s no police present, but then when they are present you don’t bring it up.”
The speaker later called on the city to remove the Flock cameras and terminate the city’s contract with the company.
During public comment, the same speaker was escorted out of the council chambers by Pasadena police officers after using profanity. As officers escorted the person from the meeting, the individual could be heard saying, “Get off of me.” But the commotion wasn’t visible in a recording.
Background on the investigation
Last week, KPRC 2 reported that Pasadena police Sgt. Michael Palitz resigned from the department while he remained under an active internal investigation, according to the Pasadena Police Department.
The resignation came after Pasadena City Council Member Emmanuel Guerrero told KPRC 2 he believes the investigation centered on allegations that Palitz improperly accessed the city’s Flock Safety license plate reader camera system to monitor another officer.
“Based on what we gathered, [he] was using our camera system, our Flock system, to track and stalk a female officer,” Guerrero previously told KPRC 2.
KPRC 2 has not independently verified the specific allegations discussed by Guerrero, and Pasadena police have not publicly released details of the investigation.
In a statement to KPRC 2 earlier this month, the Pasadena Police Department confirmed Palitz resigned while the internal investigation remained active.
“Yes, he resigned while under investigation,” Pasadena Police Sgt. April Ontiveros, with the Administration & Media Relations Unit, said in a statement. “Regardless of his employment status, our investigation will continue in accordance with legal requirements until it reaches its conclusion. Additionally, our department does not release information on open/active personnel investigations to protect the integrity of the investigation.”
The department has not publicly disclosed the nature of the investigation, and KPRC 2 is not aware of any open criminal investigation or whether any case has been presented to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
As of publication, KPRC 2 is not aware of any information demonstrating that Palitz has been implicated in or disciplined for professional misconduct associated with use of the Flock cameras.