PASADENA, Texas – For the first time, the former chief of the Pasadena Police Department is speaking publicly about disciplinary records involving former Sgt. Michael Palitz.
In a phone interview, the former chief confirmed that a document obtained by KPRC 2 News is authentic and that a version later provided by the department appears to have been altered.
Former Police Chief Jeffrey Wright told KPRC 2 News that the document he personally submitted to the department’s civil service process on March 7, 2025, recommended an indefinite suspension for Palitz.
Wright said that is not what appears in a version of the document Pasadena police later provided in response to a public records request.
“My document indicated clearly an indefinite suspension for the individual and what I saw was it altered to reflect 30-day suspension,” Wright said. “Without question, that was not the document that I submitted.”
KPRC 2 News reached out to Pasadena police shortly before noon Friday, August 14, 2026, for comment regarding the records related to Palitz and asked if the documents were “ever altered, modified, replaced, or otherwise changed.” The department did not respond to our 3:30 Friday deadline.
Allegations involving Flock cameras
The disciplinary action former Pasadena Police Chief Wright is now questioning is separate from the allegations that ultimately led to Palitz’s resignation from the department.
This year, after Wright was no longer chief, Palitz faced a separate investigation involving the department’s Flock Safety license plate reader system.
KPRC 2 News first reported Palitz’s resignation and TCOLE license surrender.
The resignation came after Pasadena City Council Member Emmanuel Guerrero told KPRC 2 News, 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 News.
KPRC 2 News has not independently verified the specific allegations discussed by Guerrero, and Pasadena police have not publicly released details of the investigation.
TCOLE oversees licensing and professional standards for law enforcement officers in Texas. A permanent surrender of a TCOLE license makes an individual ineligible to hold or obtain a TCOLE-issued law enforcement license in Texas.
That means Palitz cannot return to a TCOLE-licensed law enforcement position in Texas.
A license surrender, however, is not the same as a criminal conviction. KPRC 2 News has not reported any criminal charges against Palitz stemming from the investigation.
Palitz’s attorney previously declined to comment to KPRC 2 News about the investigation and the surrender of his license.
Former chief confirms document obtained by KPRC 2 News
Wright authenticated an unredacted copy of Palitz’s personnel records, recently obtained by KPRC 2 News, confirming that it was consistent with the disciplinary document he submitted while he was still chief.
“I can say unequivocally that [the version provided by Pasadena police] was not reflective of the document I submitted to civil service back on March 7th of 2025,” Wright said.
Wright said his original document clearly called for an indefinite suspension.
“While you were chief at Pasadena Police, you submitted an indefinite suspension, not this redacted 30-day suspension,” KPRC 2 News’ Rilwan Balogun asked.
“Exactly,” Wright responded.
Wright said the discrepancy also creates a misleading impression about his tenure as chief.
“It’s just not accurate, and from my view, it’s definitely not right,” he said.
Wright says indefinite suspension followed investigation
Wright said recommending an indefinite suspension was not a decision he made lightly.
“At the conclusion of the investigation without a doubt, it was my opinion that an indefinite suspension was warranted,” Wright said.
The disciplinary document reviewed by KPRC 2 News details allegations involving Palitz’s conduct toward other officers, including allegations of inappropriate comments, harassment and violations of orders issued by the department.
Among the allegations cited in the document are comments Palitz allegedly made about women working for the department.
The document quotes Palitz as saying: “We have women under the age of 25. Their brains aren’t even developed yet. We have lowered our hiring standards. We got all of these emotions. It’s basically like Jersey Shore.”
The document also describes allegations involving a female officer and a subsequent no-contact order.
According to the disciplinary letter, in October 2024, another sergeant issued Palitz a no-contact order involving a woman who had come forward to the department. The letter says Palitz signed the order.
The following day, however, investigators alleged that Palitz violated the order by sending the woman an unsolicited text message.
The letter states that the message came approximately two and a half hours after a meeting with Palitz about the matter.
The woman told investigators she believed the message was intended to further harass or retaliate against her for pursuing the investigation. According to the letter, she told the department she was fearful of Palitz and emotionally distraught over the situation.
The investigation also involved a text Palitz sent to an all-female squad group in 2024.
In that text message, according to the disciplinary document, Palitz addressed rumors that he was having inappropriate relationships with one or more members of the squad.
The document quotes Palitz as saying he cared about the women in the squad “more than the average sergeant” and referenced the “Sergeant Palitz babies popping out soon.”
KPRC 2 News has not independently verified the truth of the allegations in the disciplinary document. The allegations are presented as they appear in the records reviewed by the station.
“I wanted to set the record straight”
Wright said he initially did not want to become involved in current issues surrounding the Pasadena Police Department.
He said that changed after he learned his name was attached to a version of a document, he says he did not submit.
“It was my preference not to get involved in any of the local issues or politics,” Wright said. “But when it was brought to my attention that my name was on this document that had been apparently altered, I wanted to set the record straight.”
Wright did not accuse a specific person of altering the record.
He said he could not say whether the change was intentional or unintentional but maintained that the document provided by the department was not the document he submitted.
KPRC 2 News is not aware of any evidence suggesting that the difference in the documents is the result of any professional misconduct by the Pasadena Police Department.
That distinction is significant because the version released by Pasadena police lists a 30-day suspension rather than the indefinite suspension Wright says he recommended.
The difference also affects how Wright’s role in the disciplinary process appears in the public record.
KPRC 2 News has asked Pasadena police about those discrepancies and the handling of the disciplinary record.
The department previously said the Palitz matter was closed after his TCOLE license surrendered and declined to provide additional comment on the investigation.